Monday, August 30, 2010

Honeymoon Monkeys

Here's our monkey friend. He liked Tiff OK, but when I came upstairs, he started freaking out...
Jumping all over the place and ripping off tree branches...

Even licking the skylights. Turns out he was an adolescent monkey and he was just showing me that this was his turf, and I best be careful...

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Bees and Hornets and Me


I decided I would take the train up to the Cloisters – a museum made from an old European monastery someone a long time ago in a brash display of wealth shipped in piece by piece – and do some writing in the peaceful stone courtyards within. When I got there, though, it was closed (every Monday, in fact).
So I turned and headed back.
A normal scene. A city park. People out for strolls. A storm threatening the edges of it all with dark rain.
Then I looked closer at a bush bursting with purple flowers. All among the flowers were plump bees, gorging themselves on nectar. So into their feeding that they were oblivious to everything else.
This included the giant wasps that buzzed silent and deadly as military helicopters among the flowers, pouncing on bees and devouring them in a startling display of vicious hunger. Seriously, these things strip the bees without regard to the poor bee’s life or his solemn nine-to-five, and with no table manners at all. They spit out the legs and antenna, eat the plump middle, and finish by cutting off the head and buzzing off with the what’s left of the carcass. So uncouth.
I watched this happen three times – my interest completely peaked.
The bees were so into eating nectar that they didn’t notice the wasps. The wasps were so into eating the bees and they didn’t notice me. Suddenly I wondered what the hell was watching me because I was so into watching the bees and wasps.
I looked around and sure enough, there on a bench smoking a cigarette was an older man with hungry eyes.
Damn, I thought, I wish I wasn’t wearing my skinny jeans.
I decided to not look at him, hoping this would convey the message of noninterest. But, of course, when one decides to not look at something, it is often the thing one looks at. So. I ended up looking three or four more times in the next ten minutes – over my shoulder no less – and there he was, smiling the whole time.
Now, I don’t know what the old man was looking for, but the thing with the bees and wasps got my mind spinning.
Finally, I got so exasperated I ran away.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Honeymoon Rings and Views

We both kept noticing our rings the whole trip.
Tiffany set up a few poses.
Here was a deck.
Us in front of our view.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Honeymoon First Day in the Cloud Forest

This was the name of our room.
Here's the name of our hotel.
I just loved the color of the earth.
The complexity of the jungle.
The companionship of the dog.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Honeymoon While the Wife Naps

While Tiff was sleeping, I climbed a tree and found this little guy.
And this map sort of pattern in the rocks.
As I went, I noticed how man was everywhere, even in the jungle.
For some reason it captivated me.
Then I kept exploring and found these water drops on a leaf.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Honeymoon Horses

We sure had fun on the horses.
I think that I was actually taller than mine...

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Honeymoon Macro 2

Things are most interesting sometimes from up close. Like:

View from below.

A tree from below.

Seaweed.

A fallen leaf.

Cactus.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Honeymoon Monkey Walk

In the mornings we would walk and look for monkeys in the trees.

Big Beautiful trees.

Often times the dog would come on our walks.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Honeymoon More Afternoons

In the afternoons it rained.

When it rained it was time for the hammock.

Lot's of reflection.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Honeymoon Afternoons

After breakfast, I'd take a shower, sometimes with company.

Maybe head down to the river to explore.

Then maybe a little deck time.

Later in the day we would do something like go for a horseback ride...

The kids came out to watch...

And we made quite a commotion.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Honeymoon Breakfast

For breakfast, Tiff liked the pancakes.

There's a course of fruit.

Including this strange fruit.

Here's the shell.

Over all, quite good!


Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Honeymoon Typical Day

Usually it was sunny in the mornings.

With time enough to play with hermit crabs...

And stormy at night...

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Honeymoon Black and White

My Beach Baby.




We found a beach heart for her.


And a strange beach mushroom.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Honeymoon Macro

These little sand pebbles on the beach in Costa Rica were fascinating. I think some sort of crab made them...
Well, it wasn't the dead crab.
Maybe this crab made them...