Other changes

We have added a stone table...


















... and seats to the fern section of the upper garden.


















A great new spot to construct lego early in the morning.














Although, the local wildlife is a bit confused by this activity.


















Over by the entrance of the house a Calathea crotilifera that I planted 2 years ago has turned into a monster!














Plants are springing up beside the cabin now.














Infact, the whole garden looks very grown up these days!

Recent Developments

We couldn't take the dirt floors any longer, so we got busy after the New Year and layed concrete floors in the kitchen and dining area.


















The kitchen was looking especially sad and scruffy.














The new floor is amazing...














... and some sunshine yellow paint and a new stove make all the difference.














While I was away in San Jose last week, Rey got to work on the dining area.


















The place looks so different!


















A big improvement, no?


















There's a temporarily graveled corridor...


















.... and a curtain of "suita" palm leaves to shade the morning sun.














It was hard work... but worth it!




















Still to come... highlights from the construction team!

RK arrives on Osa

RK arrives on the Osa Peninsula. (Fine... so this is someone else's yacht... but it all adds to that Paparazi feel!)
















Just hanging out! Nilo and RK walk the walk...














... and talk the talk.














Celebrity botanists on vacation cool off in tropical river.














Press spotted. Time to go.

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!

Here are some pictures of Nilo opening his presents this morning. By the way, it was about 95 degrees here today!


















Nilo's Christmas... sack!


















Nilo and the Dinosaur robot he's "always wanted"... only, a miniature version!


















Minisaurus... Some cute looking robot!


















And there was Mars Mission lego...


















And some moon sand... and more lego...


















And here's this years Christmas stalk, (fallen branches of Peltogyne purpurea or Purple Heart, a rare tropical hardwood species with purple colored wood, trees of which exist in our forest reserve) and which Nilo decorated himself! We'll have to get a proper shot of it at night with it's rice lights. It's very pretty.

Amazing light

Where we've been working - it's a hard life! - Playa Preciosa as the light fades.














Looking across the Gulfo Dulce...














Looking towards Cabo Matapalo...


















Celestial blue clouds...


















Everything turns golden.

Nilo's driftwood sculpture

Nilo loves making driftwood sculptures on the beach.














Here's a picture of him at Playa Preciosa when he was just a nipper (he's the little guy with his back to the camara in the blue shorts), watching the big kids making one.














And here's him making one of his own last week.














My job was to select the pieces to be used.














Dada comes to inspect the work in progress.


















Last one back to the room's a rotten egg!

What a luxory!

Recently, we have been doing some work at Playa Preciosa on the outskirts of Puerto Jimenez and last week we were invited to stay over at the Pearl of the Osa/Iguana Lodge (www.iguanalodge.com), by friends - the lodge's owners - Toby and Lauren. What a luxory!!!


















Nilo admires himself in the elegantly lit bathroom mirror.














Careful!.... Those pillows might swallow you!














One of Lauren's (that's to say, she painted it) gorgeous paintings, many of which adorn the lodge. This is one of my favorites, a magenta colored Hibiscus flower.


















Oh! Lovely Dada... lovely!














Nibbles on the beach front.


















.
Nilo and I on the beach head in the Reserva Playa Preciosa and Platanares.














Nilo climbing on driftwood roots.

Delicious!

Mmmmmm... Nilo chooses from the cake section at Delicias de Dominical.

Row your boat

Nilo tries his hand at kayaking for the first time.

Catch of the Day

While I was in the hospital, Nilo managed to catch this fish!

The Fern Garden

We are working hard right now to establish a small garden which features many of the regional ferns, among other plants. Our most recent efforts include levelling the central area for a stone table and chairs to then be added, also the white river rocks to define the borders and path. This is a big improvement to the upper gardens, as this area had been very scrubby previously. It looks very different now!