Bougainvillea will own your souls

I was perusing some old pics I had posted on flickr of my house when we first moved in and I just wanted to show a comparison of the monster that is the bougainvillea

This pic was taken in October 06, a few months after we moved in. We had planted that bougainvillea on the right as well as another one on the left.



This other shot is of some sea grape plants that we bought in the spring of 07 when we vacationed in the Keys. You can't buy these plants locally in Central FL, so it was a score to be able to bring them home.



And now this pic was taken this morning...and I have trimmed those babies back many many many times. You can also see how big the sea grapes are




and then also to add...I planted my first veggie garden this fall.



Week 3..we planted from seeds and then transplanted



First tomato ever from a small plant purchased earlier in the year

San Jose

Hello everybody!

Well I am not going to lie...Costa Rica is beautiful. San Jose is definitely a big city in Central America. It lies in a valley surrounded by mountains. When I arrived late Wednesday afternoon the sky was dark and the clouds were low off the mountaintops. It really was spectacular. My uncle's house is settled on the top of a steep road. That night while looking out his windows it felt like I was in the Hollywood Hills as there were so many lights coming off the city. In the morning you can see farther out.

My mornings had been pretty lazy. I was made a traditional Costa Rican breakfast of 2 fried eggs, beans, and plantains. Between that and the Costa Rican coffee I was stuffed and content. I mostly just stared out the windows looking at the scenery. My nerdy self bird watched. Aside from tropical birds I was able to catch two hummingbirds.

Design wise...It is no longer necessary to assume you will be shipping furniture or household items to Costa Rica. Virtually everything can be found there, but the prices can be outrageous. I passed an Bali island type furniture store but could tell that the mark-up was enormous. I've included some pictures I took. Costa Rica felt like the South of France and Peru wrapped up into one.

Highlights: great food, Argentinian wine, fresh juices that didn't separate

Lowlights: Airline breaking my suitcase wheel..oh and stealing my jewelry!