Curiosity

By on February 9, 2019 in aCappella

Dylan, Dee Dee, and Dora often watch out the window to keep tabs on the happenings on the dock. Today Dora took it a step further by climbing up on the back of the settee.

Dora just wanted to get a better look. She really doesn’t understand why Mom doesn’t want her there…

Making Friends

By on February 8, 2019 in aCappella

Dylan, Dee Dee, and Dora had a friend come calling this week.Dylan and Dee Dee immediately recognized their buddy. After all, Dylan was once known as the manatee whisperer.Dora quickly followed their lead and said hello, too.

No Good Choices: A Study In Ice

By on February 7, 2019 in Wind Horse

Iron Lady and Grey Wolf have been cruising together in Antarctica, what the few truly experienced high latitude sailors will tell you is …Read More

Collision at Sea: USS Fitzgerald

By on February 7, 2019 in M/V Dirona

At 1:30:34 AM on Jun 17, 2017 the USS Fitzgerald and the container ship ACX Crystal came together just south of Yokosuka Japan. The ACX Crystal is a 730’ modern containership built in 2008 and capable of carrying 2,858 TEU of containers at a 23-knot service speed. The Fitzgerald is a $1.8B US Navy Arleigh Burke-Class…

Going on a Toot!

By on February 6, 2019 in aCappella

The best part of getting the dinghy ready for the Bahamas is Dad putting it in the water and taking the kids on a toot!

Boruca Indian Masks

By on February 5, 2019 in The Pearl
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

I haven’t found shopping to be much of an activity in Costa Rica…it’s hard to find nice little shops that have true Costa Rican made items. You can find all the touristy things with Costa Rica or Pura Vida on them, but finding nice things is a little more challenging. Last year I had read about the Diablo or Boruca Mask, but didn’t have a change to buy one. This year we were in the area where the indigenous people live who make these beautiful masks. Diablo masks reflect the Costa Rican rainforest and are made by the Borucan Indians that still have a village in southwest Costa Rica, just east and a little further south than Uvita.


The masks originated during the Spanish Conquest. Villagers learned the Spanish were afraid of the devil, so in an attempt to protect their village, they wore “diablo” (devil) masks. They failed to chase the Spanish away, but were able to save their village and retain their own culture. Today, the Boruca artisans carve and paint three types of masks…the diablo, the ecologico, which represents a stern-faced shaman surrounded by the flora and fauna found in the wilderness around Boruca and the combinado, which combines both the diablo and the ecologico. The masks were originally carved out of cedar, but are now carved out of balsa wood, because it’s a fast-growing native tree. It goes from seedling to harvestable in three years; each tree can yield as many as 30 masks.  

The village of Boruca has a current population of 1,500-2,000 people, who live on the indigenous reservation. Sixty percent of the residents make their living as artisans of these masks and other textiles. They give tours of their village and workshops, but we didn’t have time to go this year. It’ll definitely be on my list of things to do on another visit to Costa Rica.

Traditional Diablo Masks

Combinado Masks
Ecologico Masks
These were some of the masks for sale on the beach in Dominical
Here are the ones I bought to hang on Texas Pearl
This video shows how the masks are made and painted.

Feb. 2 – Resort Day in Uvita, Costa Rica

By on February 4, 2019 in The Pearl
“Fill your sand pail with life’s hidden treasures.” –Author Unknown
We’re staying a nice boutique hotel above Uvita, called Vista Ballena. It has a wonderful view of the ocean and a spectacular pool. For these reasons and the fact that it’s quite warm…we decided to take a resort day. We spent the whole day sitting around the pool…with an occasional dip in the water to cool off. When we planned this trip we thought we’d spend more time at the beach, and there are some great beaches in the area, but walking on the beach isn’t very appealing when the daytime temperatures are in the 90s and the sand is dark. Hopefully we’ll have more beach time on the next vacation.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Feb. 1 – Uvita, Costa Rica

By on February 3, 2019 in The Pearl
“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls” – Anais Nin

Our third stop on the Pacific coast is Uvita. This little village is about 10 miles south of Dominical. It’s home to the Cola de Ballena (Whale’s Tail) and the closest village to Marino Ballena National Park. The tiny village consists of some dirt roads lined with farms, guesthouses, gift shops, a cluster of strip malls along the main highway and a scattering of hotels in the jungle-covered hills above. It’s a very low key area…definitely not the heavy touristy beach area you’ll find around Jaco, Tamarindo Beach or the Nicoya Peninsula. Many expatriates from North America and Europe have made Uvita their home. Tours available in the area range from whale watching, ATV tours, surfing lessons and snorkeling excursions…and of course there are waterfalls to explore.

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Jan. 30 – Pozo Azul Waterfall

By on February 1, 2019 in The Pearl

“Traveling’s not something you’re good at. It’s something you do. Like Breathing.” – Gayle Foreman

After the last two, very busy days, we decided to relax at our house and take it easy all morning. By noon we were getting a little restless and decided to find a cool place to explore for the afternoon. The weather in this part of Costa Rica is very, very warm this time of year. I guess it always is, so going to the beach was out…it’s just too hot to go there except in the morning.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Protected: Steering Clear of Trouble: Our Search for Perfection COMPREHENSIVE DRAFT-4 edited by sarah

By on January 31, 2019 in Wind Horse

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