All posts by Carl

Lost in the Trees

It is difficult to describe the feeling of flying through the air above and through the tree tops. It is absolutely exhilirating. Click on this photo and try and find Kyle at the beginning of this nearly quarter mile run.

Brave Maya

Maya was her usual fearless self. By squeezing the line with her gloved right hand Maya controls her speed. If you fail to apply the brakes carefully you can hit the end of the line with enough speed to do a flip, a theory I validated myself.

Crutches In Tow

Nicolai used a chest harness in addition to the regular one and travelled through the air with his crutches strapped to his side allowing him to get around when he reached the landing platform.

Zip Lining

This afternoon we geared up for a canopy tour (zip line) of the rain forest.

Afternoon Delight

I don’t know what these are, but I have a pretty good idea of what they are doing. Their complete distraction afforded me an opportunity to get a nice close up. I found them while walking through the garden surrounding our condo.

Idylic Setting

The combination of lush vegetation, massive rock out crops, luxurious sand and turquoise water made this an idylic place to spend the afternoon. Kyle has announced his intention to move to Cota Rica. I may go with him.

Time for Egress

 As the tide came in it became necessary to leave our beach or risk being stranded there until the next low tide.

Team Effort

Maya attempts to block the incoming surf while her brothers construct a pool with a surrounding wave breaker.

Capuchin Monkeys

I spent several hours photographing a troop of white-faced Capuchin monkeys and have dozens of great images capturing their very human like behaviors. The alpha male kept a watchful eye over his family and defended it against other monkeys. The mother tended to her baby and was constantly on the lookout for food. The teenagers scampered through the trees, jumping on and wrestling with each other with little apparent regard for their own safety. Hmmm, sounds a little like the Calabria clan.

Travel Photography

Jeanine captures me photographing the wildlife. I used only this tiny tripod and a small point and shoot style camera for the entire vacation. I debated bringing my higher end gear but favored mobility over image quality. It was a difficult choice but ensured that the camera went everywhere I did.

Mini Hopper

Our guide is able to spot the smallest creatures at great distances. He sets up his spotting scope for the group to get a better look while I try and capture the same view on my camera. This remarkable grasshopper is no bigger than the end of your thumb.

Bustling Quepos

Despite its small size, Quepos is alive with activity both day and night. While Manuel Antonio does not really have a center and caters almost exclusively to tourists, Quepos is more typically Costa Rican with a primarily local population and business orientation. This is where we did most of our grocery and gift shopping.

Oceanside Sunset

As evening aproached we drove into Quepos, the nearest town. We found our way to the oceanside just in time for the sunset.

Reluctant Subjects

Everyone was thrilled (not) when I suggested a family portrait. Tough to get a great image with just one try but I am still happy that we got this shot.

Condo Mints

I chose to do a little photography and found each of these growing within a few feet of our condo.

Ocean Dining

For dinner we locate a nice restaurant overlooking the ocean. At 6 PM we are the first to arrive but by the time we left at 8 PM the place was packed.

Th

Squirrel Monkeys

 


A troop of squirrel monkeys would visit our condo daily. They would either fourage through the trees for food or lounge about for siesta.

Manuel Antonio

We arrive in Manuel Antonio where we will spend five nights in a rented cando. Our SUV fares well on the treacherous roads where it is not uncommon to encounter a portion of the highway collapsed into a ravine or to cross a 100 year old steel bridge with enough holes in it to clearly see the river below. Seriously, driving in Costa Rica is not for the timid.

Scarlet Macaws

Today we travel from the mountains to the Pacific coast. The drive consumes the better part of the day as we traverse the serpentine roads through rain and dense fog. Our efforts are rewarded when we reach the ocean where it is sunny, warm, and teaming with wildlife. We discovered several pairs of Scarlet Macaws just south of Jaco.