Second snow day

The snow is a little bit more impressive today. Lavi seems to finally be taking a liking to it as she explores our snow-filled backyard for the first time.

Our first snow

We are probably the only people in Portland who are excited about it snowing in March. Although it did not stick and the sun is peaking out now, it was still pretty cool for us newly transplanted So Cal folks.
Lavi on the other hand is really not a fan of "weather". She has been hailed on at the park and now snowed on at home, not to mention the increase in rain she now contends with on a more frequent basis. But have no fear, she does a very good job of keeping herself warm under the covers every day.

Costa Rica

We are back from Costa Rica and had an amazing time. Here are some of the highlights. The Osa Peninsula is a fantastic place with scarlet macaws flying everywhere, howler monkeys waking you up even before the sun comes up, beautiful heliconia everywhere waiting for hummingbirds to fly by, and beautiful, wonderful people who are excited to share this little piece of magic with you.

We shared this adventure with a fantastic group of ladies - Vanessa (our yogi), Fara, Maxine, Lauren, Tara, Anna, Eva, Iliana and the non-stop comic and bacon-eating Terry. We could not have asked for a better group of people.

We did not know what to expect upon arriving on the Osa, but after a 2-hour bumpy, back breaking drive through the countryside, forests and over rivers, we arrived at Luna Lodge. Lana, the proprieter, met us with cold water and a smile. We soaked in the view from the main building that looked out over the forest and to the ocean. Our bungalows were located up the mountainside. Luckily, mom and I had #5, which was the first one so we did not have to walk very far to the pool and the main lodge.

The other ladies were located higher up and had to walk many steps to get there. Although they were farther from the lodge, they were closer to the yoga platform and the spa bungalow. The yoga platform was approximately 150-200 steps or so from the bottom. We were all winded by the time we got up there for yoga each day (2x day) and even by the end it never did seem to get better. But once you got up there, you were rewarded with an amazing view of the surrounding forest and could look across to the other side of the valley.

During the day, everything was peaceful and beautiful. The nighttime was a different story. Our bungalows were pretty much meshed in nature considering the walls were not attached to the roof and there was a 2 foot open space that invited numerous unwanted guests in our room. Including, but not limited to, bats, moths, crickets, "poop" belonging to something, cockroaches, grasshoppers, spiders, etc... Tara was "lucky" enough to find a snake in her room one night and Fara was made friends with a scorpion. We employed our mosquito nets to keep things away from us at night, but they did not help when we needed to go to the bathroom. Let's just say, the nights were very long!

Here is a picture of the "open" air bathroom.


We had many adventures in the forest, including a tour to several waterfalls. We climbed steep inclines/declines and over rivers/boulders to get there but it was worth it.



We took a tour to Corcovado National Park and were fortunate enough to see a puma. He was just chillin'.

We also saw squirrel monekeys, white-faced capuchin monkeys and a family of coatimundi. It was a very long day but one we will never forget. Upon our return to the lodge, we were visited by a female 3-toed sloth.


After more yoga and hanging by the pool,

we went on a horseback ride in the forest and on the beach during sunset. My horse "Luna" was quite pregnant and loved guavas. The only time she picked up speed was when we were nearing the guava tree.



After some more yoga, we took a Tai Chi lesson with one of the masseuse, Eugenio. Let's just say, he was easy on the eyes.



All in all, this was an amazing trip and made all the better that I got to spend it with my mom and sister.


To see more pictures, visit my webshots album.

Pura Vida.
Leigh

Tryon Creek State Park

We are very lucky to have a state park only 2 minutes from our house. They have great trails for walking and birding. Lavi loves it here as you can imagine. This is a good time to look for birds since the trees don't have many leaves on them yet and you can see farther into the forest. There is a big creek that runs through and there was word that someone spotted a river otter last week. As you can see it is much greener here than in San Diego. We are also looking forward for spring to fully arrive so we can enjoy the beautiful flowers and the many more shades of green we hear so much about.

Here is Lavi getting ready to explore.


Here she is again waiting patiently for me to take her photo.


And another...


I am off to Costa Rica on Tuesday -yippee! Mom, Lauren and I will be enjoying the hot, humid conditions of the Osa Peninsula where we will be practicing yoga twice a day and exploring the surrounding rainforest. I will be posting the highlights of our trip when we return.

Pura Vida!!