Played for a great cause last night, The Marla Ceely Lamb Cancer Travel Fund. I have many friends and loved ones who have benefitted from this amazing group, who helps with expenses incurred when traveling off-island for treatment. This is an older photo, which I will update.

Yosemite Park

I'm in Yosemite National Park in California. The rock formation behind me is called El Capitan. Rock climbers actually climb up the sheer face of this cliff. I can't imagine how they do it!

I'm standing on Sentinel Dome at an elevation of  8,100 feet. Climbing up here I began to fell the effect of the elevation - the trailhead is 3,500 feet above Yosemite Valley.

 At the top you get an incredible 360 degree panorama of the entire park. 

After a day of exploring there's nothing quite as cosy as dinner by the fire.

Volcano!

Costa Rica has lots of volcanos. This one is Arenal Volcano located within easy driving distance from Villa Decary. When I first saw it in the distance as we drove towards it, shrouded in smoke and clouds, it took my breath away.

Suzy and I had lunch in the Observatory Lounge. We saw smoke coming out of the top (the main chamber) and also a little from a small side vent.

We spent the morning zip-lining over and through the rainforest canopy. Sky Trek is nearby the volcano. As you zip along the views of Lake Arenal and the volcano are not to be believed. We had an adventure of a lifetime!

Lake Cote Exploration. Are UFO's Real?

Suzy and I drove to Lake Cote today. It is a beautiful and peaceful place. We saw no people the entire time we were there. Lake Cote is best known for the aerial photograph taken by a Costa Rican government mapping plane. I found this information below:

"The photo above (cropped and enlarged) was taken by a Costa Rican government mapping plane during an aerial mapping mission. This UFO photograph is unique for several reasons. 1) The photograph was taken by a high-quality, professional camera. 2) The unidentified object is plainly visible against the uniformly dark background of the lake and appears in sharp focus. 3) The camera was aimed downward and the plane was flying at a known, fixed altitude (10,000 feet), which makes it easy to calculate a maximum size for the object (683 feet). 

The plane carried a crew of four; a specialist in aerial photography, a geographer, a topographer, and the pilot. No member of the crew stated that they saw anything unusual during the routine flight. 

Much analysis has been undertaken using the original negative, most notably by Dr. Richard F. Haines and Dr. Jacques F. Vallee. It seems safe to assume that it is not a double-exposure or the result of manipulation of the negative. All indications are that this is a photo of a large three-dimensional disk , or shallow cone, [hovering?] above, and possibly partially submerged in Lago de Cote. 

There were apparently no witnesses to the disk's presence at the time of the photograph, but other incidents at that location had been reported by local farmers, involving strange, artificial objects moving around the surface or just below the surface of the lake. (NURMUFO)"

Taken from www.ufoevidence.org

These flowers are called Twelve Apostles. They are stunning. 

Lake Arenal was created as a reservoir and hydro power source. Three small villages were destroyed as the lake filled in. Ancient tools can still be found scattered about the edges of the lake as well as on the islands. Below are some of these stones that embellish Villa Decary's gardens.

Costa Rican Farms

Yesterday we visited Natalie and Pasquale's amazing farm. Many 'expats' have moved to Costa Rica, bought grassland and through hard work and determination created amazing self-sustaining farms. 

Natalie and Pasquale raise cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens. 

That's an active volcano in the background. 

Natalie is a whirling dervish of endless projects and enterprises. She makes jams and jellies, roasts macadamia nuts, distributes coffee, crafts, honey to name but a few.  Natalie and Pasquale made their own beautifully massive furniture from fallen trees they found on their land..   

They are just beginning to use a hydroponic system which incorporates tilapia in a tank. 

Water circulates nutrients to vegetable plants, which are grown in rocks. 

The house they have built is reminiscent of an Italian villa in the hills of Tuscany. True frescos lend authentic old-world feel. I had to settle down and take time to absorb their beauty.

Natalie's kitchen is where she creates and presents her wonderful catered 7 course dinners.

 People come from all over the world for this experience. 

Fresh Fruit and Picadillo De Papaya Verde

Breakfast starts off with bananas, mango, papaya, pineapple, watermelon. Delicious!

Next we have the main course. Picadillo de papaya verde is usually made with beef or pork but Villa Decary serves homemade authentic  tortillas with eggs and picadillo de papaya verde. It's made with unripened 'green' papayas, potatoes, local herbs, spices and fresh vegetable. This is an authentic Costa Rican dish. This dish takes a full day to prepare.

My new friend  Jeremy plays Poisson Rouge as we await breakfast!

Villa DeCary in Costa Rica

 Suzy Brown and Danny have owned and operated Villa DeCary for a number of years. Suzy and I grew up together in Montclair, NJ. Around the time that Jack and I moved to Nantucket, Suzy moved to Paris, then to California, and now she spends most of her time at Villa DeCary.

Suzy and Danny take special pride in the amazing breakfasts guests enjoy during their stay.

Homemade jam

Omelets and homemade bread 

After breakfast Suzy, Suzy's dog Olivia, and I went for a walk around Lake Arenal and took a swim. We met a young German couple with three kids, under the age of 5. They are spending six months traveling through Central America, living in this military-looking vehicle - It's very 'Mad Max.'

As we were leaving a gentleman rode his horse down to the water's edge. Costa Ricans train their horses to 'dance.'