I just went to the fruit market again and bought as much fruit as I could carry half a mile home on foot. Which came to 1950 colones, or just under four dollars US. Sheesh. That's two small pineapples, five plantains, a bunch of bananas, three large mangoes, and a melon. And an aching shoulder. *grin ( Read more... )

My dad and his wife are visiting Costa Rica again this week and I'm joining them for the weekend. Tomorrow morning we're going to the Hanging Bridges of La Fortuna. Or some hanging bridges around La Fortuna, I forget the exact name. According to my dad, we're being picked up from the hotel at "O-dark hundred." Which turns out to be 7:30AM, or ( Read more... )

As some of you may know, I have an older brother. Though he occasionally drives me nuts, I love him ( Read more... )

It's thundering, not loud or close, but just a kind of low rumble punctuated by louder grumbles. It sounds...very familiar. After a while of listening to it I turned to Rita and said "It sounds like Grampa and Uncle Bernard!" She laughed ( Read more... )

By underestimating shipping times to the UK I very nearly went from "best aunt ever!" to "worst aunt ever!" Fortunately I can pay through the nose pay a little bit more and get the critical item there by the critical date. All other items are about to become New Year's Day presents, however.

Not any recent wedding, mind you. But I've almost completed the great slide-scanning project, and my reward for getting to the last carousel of slides was {drum-roll} my parents' wedding pictures ( Read more... )

( Super secret Christmas present )

My uncle's funeral was yesterday. He was a farmer, had always been a farmer, never wanted to be anything but a farmer. So yesterday he was carried from the funeral home to the church in his hay trailer, pulled by his favorite tractor. I think I first really teared up when I saw the two "funeral" flags on the nose of the tractor--you know, those ( Read more... )

My uncle Bernard died today just after noon. My mother and I found out about it around two, but one of my aunts had called my mother this morning at 10 to tell her that his doctor had suggested "gathering the family." Since we both have colds, however, they wouldn't have let us in the hospital to visit him anyway, so we didn't start up there. ( ( Read more... )

My uncle just died. He had a heart attack a couple of weeks ago, had a second one in the hospital. I don't know the details yet. He was 56, the second youngest of my mother's siblings ( Read more... )