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April 3 – Dinner at the Beach

By on April 15, 2019 in The Pearl
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” – Desmond Tutu
One of the most enjoyable evening while we were in Eleuthera was spent at Tippy’s. The restaurant sits on the Atlantic beach just south of Governor’s Harbour. We had a large table on the deck overlooking the water…the view was wonderful, the food was very good and the kids had fun playing in the sand before and after dinner. 

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Exploring Eleuthera

By on April 11, 2019 in The Pearl
“Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” – Brad Henry

One afternoon when the little ones were resting Stan, Eric and I went exploring. Our first stop was Hatchet Bay Caves. These caves are located on the western side of Queen’s Highway, just outside of the Hatchet Bay settlement…easy to find, just enter the name into your Waze app. It’s the most extensive cave system discovered on Eleuthera, extending about 1100 feet underground, with over a mile of twisting passages. We didn’t have the right kind of footwear for the adventure, so we didn’t venture in very far in. We weren’t too impressed with what we saw, but fun to see something a little different. The area is rumored to have been a favorite playground for pirates…maybe there are buried treasures in the cave.

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April 1 – Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera

By on April 10, 2019 in The Pearl

“You go through life wondering what is it all about but at the end of the day it’s all about family.” – Rod Stewart

Our first full day in Eleuthera was spent shopping for supplies, playing in the pool and relaxing at Cocodimama Beach. Our Grands and their Momma’s spent the morning at the neighborhood pool, while the rest of us went into Governor’s Harbour to look around and go to the grocery store…it takes a lot of food to keep 10 people happy.
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Mar. 31 – We’re in Eleuthera

By on April 9, 2019 in The Pearl

“The most important thing in the world is family and love.”  – John Wooden

Blogging last week while we were on vacation was just too time consuming and I was having way too much fun playing with our grands, walking on the beach, swimming, listening to the waves from our amazing house and exploring. This week I’ll try and catch up on my posts and share a few more pictures of our wonderful adventure.
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Mar. 31 – Bahamas Adventure

By on March 30, 2019 in The Pearl

“The memories we make with our family is everything.” – Candace Cameron Bure

We’re on our way to Eleuthera in the Bahamas…not on one of our boats, but flying in with the WHOLE family. We’re so excited about sharing all the fun exploring and relaxing on this beautiful island with our loved ones. We’ve rented a wonderful large house just moments away from a great beach. There’s room for everyone to relax, unwind and enjoy.
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The View from Our Deck

By on March 18, 2019 in The Pearl

“Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.”

The view from the back deck of Texas Pearl is pretty nice…lots of boats, bait houses, a lighthouse and an ever changing sky. We have the same view from the potholes in the stateroom. It’s fun to slide open the curtains and take in this view in the morning. Although this year we’ve seen a lot more fog than we’d like…we take what we get and enjoy it as much as we can.
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Texas Fun Facts

By on March 11, 2019 in The Pearl

Our time in Texas is winding down. Spring will be here soon…we hope, and we’re looking forward to heading north to our summer home. I thought this would be a perfect time to share a few little known, very interesting facts about Texas:
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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.

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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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