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Our time here has been remarkably free of injury, mishap, or complications. Considering the new activities, situations, and environments we have been in, we have been blessed with good health, no accidents, and general well-being.


Samuel had a slight mishap on Tuesday. He was walking on a slippery walkway near the beach after our marine tour when he managed to bump into a shelf in front of a restaurant and scrape his cheek under his eye. We were worried it would bruise and cause a black eye, but he was lucky and just has a little pink abrasion to show for it. It’s hard to distinguish from the chocolate ice cream smears.

Sarah on the other hand, developed a minor skin rash our first week here. She had a little itchy irritation on her legs that we thought was probably from mites in a hammock she liked to swing in. We quit the hammock but the irritation continued. In recent days it spread and got worse. We went to a farmacia for help, and got some ointments and an antihistamine, but after two days there was no improvement.



So today we went to a clinic and saw a doctor. He thinks she is coming in contact with a plant of some sort, and that the sun, pool water, and sea water are intensifying the irritation. He gave us 2 more ointments and another antihistamine to add to our arsenal.



The worst part (other than a steroid shot in the butt) for Sarah is no sun, no pool, and no beach until it improves. With only 2 days left here, she was looking forward to a last time or two swimming, but that is doubtful now.



To lift her spirits, we drove to Dominical and went out to lunch and rented some movies (in Spanish!) . When we return them tomorrow afternoon, we plan to get some sushi, and go to a festival the church and school there are having. It will be a busy day, as we have to pack, deliver donations, buy some supplies for Saturday’s drive, and stop by the Information Center for a few things too.



This morning as we drove to the main road, Amy spotted some beautiful orchids growing wild on somebody’s rusty gate. We see them all over here, because the climate is ideal for them.

Further down the road, a huge limb that had fallen in last night’s Pretty Big Storm blocked most of the road. We managed to sneak the mighty Terios around it.

During lunch in Dominical , this lady got out of a bus. She is wearing a traditional Costa Rican dress, the first we have seen here.

Sarah posed by an indigenous sculpture, and Samuel admired some artwork.

When we got home, Samuel spotted this varmint eating bananas from the tree outside one of our bathroom windows. It’s a relative of the raccoon, but it has a long straight tail. He came back three times and ate half a dozen overripe bananas. I also took some video I’ll try to post tomorrow.

I also spotted two toucans (twocans?) sitting together pretty close to the house. All month they have kept their distance (maybe due to the kids squealing when they are in the pool) but now they come quite close. These two appear to be a couple.

Tonight as the sun went down (or as night fell, to be more exact- its been very rainy in the late afternoon) I brought Sarah outside and explained to her that it would probably be the last time we watched it get dark over the ocean from our patio (since we will be in Dominical tomorrow night). We talked about all the things we had done and seen, and how we would always remember our time here. She was very thoughtful and spent a few minutes on her own, enjoying the last rays of light. Later she said she might like to have her wedding or honeymoon here. Despite her skin trouble, I think she has really enjoyed being here, and has learned and grown a lot.

Speaking of growing a lot, Samuel weighed himself while we were waiting for Sarah today, and he weighs 58 pounds!! That’s a lot of rice and beans!



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