Betsy's Blog

                      Just another rainy day in the Costa Rican jungle. A huge tree fell over and knocked out the power, Internet, and water nearby. Luckily, we still have power at our bungalow park, but no water. It is going to be a long day in our jungle hideaway. No water means no toilets to flush, no shower, no washing dishes or hands. However, we are fortunate. I do wonder how long this outage will last. It is raining again, but I guess that is life in the Rainforest. How was my rainy day spent? Reading, writing, listening to podcasts, and watching rerun TV shows on my laptop. A sleepy, humid day with humidity and no relief. We finally decided to take a swim, but then it started raining. So here I sit on my laptop again. Did I tell you that I saw two poisonous dart frogs by the pool? They were as small as my fist with vibrant green and white patterned skin. After they emerged from a bush, they sat silently looking a...

          Have you ever walked in a rainforest? Have you stayed in a treehouse with a bedroom and bath? I have done both in Costa Rica. It is a lush country filled with colorful flowers and green forests. It seems to rain whenever we are out and about. I am trying to find a pattern for the rainstorms. Today I carried my raincoat around for half a day in the sunshine. Then it poured as soon as we arrived at our B & B. I got soaked even though I had on my hooded raincoat. Ugh!  You can never have too much water. People have died of thirst shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. We had a five-course gourmet lunch overlooking the Botanical Gardens. Luckily, it had tiny gourmet portions. Afterward, we walked through the woods, gardens, and a greenhouse. Wild plants grow in the rainforest without too much effort. The gardeners do more cutting and pruning than watering the flowers. This country is full of color from the fruit markets to the birds in the...

                                                                                                       It was pouring rain when we landed in Costa Rica. Very disconcerting after living in the Nevada desert for the past year. When it rains, it pours in San Jose. The foliage slowly turns a darker shade of green until dusk throws a blanket over it. The lawns look like artificial turf surrounded by palm fronds and moss-covered tree trunks. It is a lush country and resembles a foreign planet to me after living in the brown-colored Nevada desert.  We are staying in a small bungalow park in the capital city of San Jose that is protected by stone walls, palm trees, and two guard d...

                                   You can learn a lot about a new state by driving outside of the big city. In my case, the city is Las Vegas. What does the rest of the state actually look like? Imagine an infinite sandbox covered with rocks and scrub grass. At first, it appears to be totally brown, but then you notice the different shades of brown on the terrain. It appears to be empty until you see a deer or a rabbit cross your path and get all excited. Now and then you can even see a river or lake. The water adds green grass to the terrain and it looks like a magnificent carpet in the middle of nowhere.  The magic continues with the forests of ancient Joshua Trees. Did you know that some of them are over 1000 years old? Their twisted branches reach out like arms to the sky above. Sturdy tree trunks support the clouds as they group together in the middle of nowhere. The...