DIY Swing and an Armoured Armadillo by Sam

Yesterday, I decided to build a swing. Next week, our friends Maddy and Jiri are arriving AND Mom wanted me to go outside and do something, so I decided to combine these two things and build the swing. I got the idea out of a Howtoons book (a really cool graphic novel/diy book that shows you how to do really awesome projects) that I got from Grampy Wayne for Christmas.

I put on my rubber boots (because I didn't want to step on a gecko or scorpion or anything in the field) and went out to find a suitable spot to put it.  I wanted to build it off the Guanacaste tree, but then I would need about a 100 ft rope because the nearest branch is about 40 ft off the ground. Finally, I decided on a tree that was not too high or too low. Several attempts were made to throw the rope over the branch. Then, I secured it around the trunk for extra support (using a killick hitch.) Then I used a clove hitch to tie the loose end of the rope around a sturdy stick that I could use for a swing.

Here's the thing. I kind of don't like some parts of the books that show you how to do these diy projects as it all goes so smoothly every time. For instance, for the rope swing, in the book they have a perfect straight up oak-tree with a perfect branch jutting straight out with no leaves or other sticking out bits in the way. They make perfect knots and find the one perfect stick lying around for the swing and then swing effortlessly through the air. My experience was more frustrating and needed several tries with lots of obstacles. My rope was too short. I kept getting it tangled in the leaves. The knot slipped a few times until I got it right. I looked forever to find a great stick and then couldn't grip on to it properly! I think Maddy and Jiri will like it though. Probably we can build it together again better.

Later, when Maeve had dance class, Dad and I explored around the area (she's in a new studio in Pelada). We took several cool trails. Once we were around the first bend, we heard a rustling in the bushes. We looked over to expect an iguana or something. Instead, we saw an armadillo! It was just nosing along the leaves looking for insects. When it eventually noticed us, it froze for a second and then scampered away. We were able to observe it for 5-10 minutes. We also saw a great owl moth. Again, we only had Dad's camera. I have to start carrying my camera around with me again.

Dad and I to San Jose and Back by Sam

Dad and I were driving to San Jose to pick up the car from importation. We thought it would be about a 7 hour round trip. Turns out, we were wrong. It took about 6 hours to drive one way! (I forgot to bring the camera so the few that we have are from Dad's phone.)

The problem was that about halfway through the trip, we encountered some construction. After about 10 minutes of waiting (in that time the car moved about 2 centimeters) we decided to take a detour.  This particular detour was on a dirt road through some sugar cane fields. On the way, we had to cross two rivers (we almost got stuck in one of them because our rental car didn’t have a snorkel and the water came in – about two inches on the floor of the car.) We also saw a sugar cane processing factory. It was very busy. We also saw a crested caracara which is like a hawk with a bright red beak and dozens of grackles and one spiny-tailed iguana when we got out to go pee. The sugar cane was about 1-2 metres tall and there was a maze of dirt roads all through the fields with lots of tractors driving around.

After emerging back on to the main road, the rest of the drive was uneventful until we reached the crocodile bridge. This is a bridge that spans the Tarcoles River which is very good for watching crocodiles. Supposedly, crocodiles like polluted water and if so this is the best place for them to be  because a lot of sewage from San Jose flows in to this river. We were expecting to see about a dozen or so, but we saw 34! The smallest was about 5 feet long and the biggest was 15 feet long! The sidewalks on the bridge were very narrow but at least there was a railing. Big trucks zoomed by. Just after we arrived, a busload of tourists piled out. They had lots of fancy cameras and t-shirts that said Pura Vida. I was really excited about seeing the crocodiles as I’ve been looking for them since the moment we arrived in Costa Rica. I went from never having seen a crocodile in the wild to seeing 34! One was basking on land with its mouth wide open, waiting for a plover bird to hop in and clean its teeth. 

Upon arrival in San Jose, we went to the person, Jon, who owned the rental car and who has been helping us import the car. He was very friendly and took us straight away to the mechanic to pick up our car. After picking up the car, we had dinner of a vegetarian sandwich. I hadn’t eaten for seven hours so didn’t even mind that there were mushrooms and olives on it (I really don’t like those particular vegetables usually) We discovered there was a problem with the brakes so we had to stay the night at Jon’s house. When we were getting ready for bed I looked out the window and saw a soccer game being played. It was no ordinary game. It’s called Futbol 5 and it’s played inside, in an area about the size of a tennis court, 5 players on each team, and only one net. The guide books all say that San Jose is the concrete jungle. I think it's better than that. I'm excited about going back and maybe watching a soccer game at the new, enormous stadium.

The next morning, we went to the mechanic again. We waited for about 20 minutes while he readjust the brake pads. I noticed a 1960s rusted green automobile. It belonged to Jon and he was hoping to get it restored to its old self. We pulled out of the garage to head home which was largely uneventful including the bread and cheese lunch. I read and played minecraft the whole way.

When we got home, we discovered there had been another ant invasion. It was still in process. Hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of ants were swarming over our front yard, climbing up and into the house. Patti sent me some information that says the ants are only on a mission to clean out your house like a broom, getting rid of all the dead insects and little bits from the corners and sides of your walls. After a couple of hours, they’ll move on. Even the scorpions are afraid of them. I haven’t managed to convince mom and dad to let them be yet. The good thing about ant invasions is that we get to go out for dinner. I had my favourite meal in Nosara – pesto pizza.

The Mud and The Frog and The Sloth by Maeve

Some of the really cool flowers near Rio Celeste.

This weekend, Mama, Daddy, Sam, and I and my Grandma and Grandpa went to a place called Rio Celeste and the Tenorio Volcano National Park. It is a blue, blue river that runs between two volcanoes. It's blue because another river runs into it and where they meet, their different minerals make a chemical reaction. It's stinky but very pretty. We stayed at a pretty good, small cabin at a farm that grew vegetables and coffee and had a butterfly garden and snakes.

You can spot a little of the blue river in front of Sam.

When we were about to start the long 3 hour hike to the waterfall, we were walking on a concrete trail that was sort of like a sidewalk and I said, "Is it going to be like this for the whole thing because that would be really boring?" But, it wasn't!! A little further down the trail there were pebbles and then it got muddier and muddier and then muddiest of all and I LOVED it! I got my boots really dirty. Even though it's the dry season (and it hasn't rained for weeks and weeks in Nosara) we were now in a part of the rainforest where it rains at least a little all year round and people had been walking so the mud was formed and gooey. My boots nearly came off a few times.

Me, at the waterfall

We heard something in the distance. I thought it was the waterfall. We kept walking a little faster now and then we got to a set of stairs going down. They were steep and had a beautiful railing that looked like a polished tree branch and there were so many steps!! When we got to the end, there was a little lookout over the waterfall. The waterfall was BEAUTIFUL. It was also noisy with so much water and you got sprayed a lot. It wasn't as blue as it is sometimes and I think it was because there had been so much rain which was mixing up the mud and things.

Isn't it beautiful?

We headed back up the stairs (which was tiring) and then we headed down a different trail. There was another lookout of the rainforest and you were supposed to see the tops of two volcanoes but they were hidden by the clouds. Then, we kept hiking and on a post by the side of the trail, there was a little frog! It was soooo cute! Hie eyes were striped black and red and his body was bright green. Its toes had big suction cups on them and it seemed to be asleep. He might have let me touch him but I didn't. It was a Fleischmann's Glass Frog, we are pretty sure. At the end of the hike we had a great lunch which included the best fried cheese EVER. Then we drove home on the bumpy road.

SLOTH!!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about the sloths! When we got to our cabin, Mama told the person that she really wanted to see a sloth. He took us right to the place on the trail at their farm where there were three lumbering along on the branches!!! They were so furry and wet and faster than I thought. Later when we were walking through the farm we saw a mama and its baby. It was so awesome.

Everyone at one of our fancy dinners

We have been having lots of fun with grandparents visiting. We've played lots of Chinese Checkers and Pente and we've gone to the beach a lot and eating gelato and having fancy dinners. So far though we have not had any luck showing any of our grandparents a sea turtle because it's not the right time of the month for mamas or hatchlings. Now we're going to go snorkeling. Bye for now!