I AM HAPPY, IMMENSELY HAPPY

Dennis and I spent the Christmas Holiday with some good friends from Arkansas, USA, Ted and JonPaul. Ladies and Gentlemen, it was a wonderful holiday - about as good as it gets. We had good food, good company, good rest, good drink, good conversations and a really, really good time. This sign is at a restaurant high above Turrialba, coffee country and sugar cane everywhere. I love what it says..... I am happy, immensely happy

I know, another volcano, but that is what this country is about. This is looking at Volcano Turrialba from their back patio. Beautiful view!!

Dennis, Ted and JonPaul making dinner....

Another view from their back porch.

Christmas morning....this is what we did all day.

On a bit of an outing....

This is the kitchen at the soda (small cafe) with the sign at the beginning of the blog. They are indeed cooking on a wood stove and all the ingredents are organic and grown by these good people.

These are Collared Acracaris. I saw more birds and variety of birds on this trip, just sitting on the back porch and enjoying the show. I do like to watch them.

JonPaul enjoying the view.

The front of their house. Nice place, for sure.

Sunset over the lake.

Tierra Blanca, Costa Rica

On December 20, 2008, a group of us friends got together for a Christmas lunch in Tierra Blancas (White Earth), Costa Rica. The house where we met at is an old family house built in 1910-20, and was shipped to Costa Rica after being ordered from a Sears & Roebuck catalog.

Go figure!

This house is a small, cottage style house with the original wall paper, most of the original floors, a wood burning stove and the most charming gardens you could imagne. Tierra Blancas is a farming area, especially onions. It sits high above Cartago on the slopes of Volcano Irazu. A refreshing day in cool breezes, warm sun and the fragrance of the gardens mixed with newly plowed earth. Truly a great day, at a great place with some wonderfully great company!

This is a photo of the orininal house. Maria Fernanda was not totally sure of the exact date the house was built.
This is the tierra blanca (white earth) the town is named for. This is a mineral used to make what we would call hominy. Cute house, huh!!

Looking down the mountain side toward Cartago.

One view of the garden

Next to the doorsteps

One of the bedrooms. Small beds and check out the closet space - two of them!!

The kitchen, complete with a wood burning stove

Bathroom

Making a bouquet from the side garden

Dennis took this picture. Maria Fernanda and Marco in front,

L to R: Kimberly, Laura, and Renee.

Me in the back, of course.