Sooooo…Elizabeth was not too interested in this post as all the photos we had from Costa Rica were of the critters we saw on our “eco-river boat” float.  It was sort of like the Disneyland Adventureland Jungle Cruise with neither perky Disney cast member or any the large animals.

As you can see the river was not so big.

Black hawk.

Snowy egret. Have they ever seen snow in Costa Rica?

Huge termite nest built on the side of the tree.

Colorful crab.

Young crocodile.

I thought this bird was pretty cool. Impossible to get a clean shot.

A large group of Ibex were along the river.

Racoon hanging out in the trees – so the crocs can’t eat him.

That’s it.  Aren’t you glad E handles our narrative almost all the time.

G signing off.

Welcome to San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua!  This city sits beside a crescent-shaped bay, which was a popular resting place for gold prospectors headed to California in the 1850’s.  Correspondingly, San Juan del Sur served as a hub for the Cornelius Vanderbilt Lines.  It has also been the focus of many historic Nicaragua Canal proposals.

We were welcomed into the bay by Christ of the Mercy – –

Cristo de La Misericordia overlooking the bay.

After tendering to shore, we boarded our bus to Los Altos, a private ranch where we lunched on Caballo Bayo – three meats with rice and beans.  The sights and sounds on the way were fun and provided wonderful examples of Nicaraguan life – –

The many colorful modes of transportation – – the “chicken buses”..

…to the horse drawn carts…

..to those powered by people.

The sights and sounds at lunch were also wonderful.  Los Altos was a fabulous ranch with its own stables, church, orchards, meeting areas and beautiful grounds.  Lunch was delicious and the entertainment was great.

Los Altos.

Excellent lunch of local specialities was provided…

which was accompanied by traditional Nicaraguan music.

Further wanderings on the grounds provided views of this little chapel,

the horse stables and …

a big ugly iguana trying to hide in the bushes.

With our stomachs full, we were on to Granada, a magnificent city overlooking Lake Nicaragua.  Granada was founded as a trade center in 1524 by Spanish conquistadors.  The San Francisco Convent is its crown jewel, and the historical building now houses a cultural center with fine pre-Columbian statues.

Onward to the old colonial town of Granada.

We also had a brief stop at the Masaya Market, one of the country’s foremost artisan markets.  E broke down here and acquired a pretty little shawl and a small bottle of their speciality product – RUM;-)

The vibrant colors of the marketplace are as bright and intricate as…

the wall art adjacent to the marketplace.

The Granada town square was colorful as well.

One more stop before returning to the Marina – – Masaya Volcano National Park, the first NP in Nicaragua.  Good news is the last eruption was 2008 – but it looks like it could go any minute!!

Masaya Volcano NP – just in case you weren’t sure;-)

The Mouth of Hell!!

There you have Nicaragua – the largest country in Central America.  And I have RUM;-)

See you tomorrow in Costa Rica – E & G

The first stop in Central America was Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala.  The tour bus ride to La Antigua, the Guatemalan capital until it was destroyed by earthquakes 300 years ago, introduced us to Guatemala and ALL its color and local ‘flavor’ – –

Welcome to Puerto Quetzal – warm and humid.

Two heads ARE better than one.

Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala founded in the Panchoy Valley in 1543 – today referred to as La Antigua – was the colonial capital and is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This charming town sits 4,500 feet above sea level (a bit of a reprieve from the heat) and in the shadow o three volcanoes.  It is famous for both its colorful Spanish Mudejar-influenced Baroque architecture and its many ruins of colonial churches.  Cobblestone streets, colorful facades and tiled roofs, as well as restored and unrestored ruins of churches, palaces, convents and mansions covered with colorful bougainvillea make it a picture paradise!

Beautiful Color!

Downtown area was fun to explore…the entry to La Antigua.

Iglesia de la Merced (1218-2018)  was elegant, both outside…

…..and in.

Construction on the Cathedral of Santiago on the east side of the Main Plaza in La Antigua was begun in 1542 and was completed around 1666.  But it had to be rebuilt after the 1691 earthquake.  A ceremony was taking place inside during our visit – perhaps with some VIP’s that required all the security (including the machine guns) outside???

Cathedral of Santiago

Hotel Casa Santo Domingo was our next stop – and our beautiful lunch spot.  This development opened in 1989.  The main goal of the project is to rescue what remains of the ancient convent and temple that were buried under tons of debris.  To reach the goal, it was necessary to sign an agreement with the National Council for the Protection of Antigua Guatemala that included the archaeological history of the monumental complex. Today there is a beautiful hotel sharing some of the property of the ruins, a portion of the temple exposed and utilized for weddings, etc (they were setting up for a wedding as we were touring) portions of the convent exposed with various portions of the renovated buildings being utilized for a Cultural Center, a Colonial Art Museum, the Carlos Merida Museum-Gallery of Modern Art and various research labs.

Some of the old church and monastery ruins. 

The partially restored temple being set up for a wedding.

This wall art in the museums is almost as colorful as…

…the many birds in the gardens.

It was time to return to the heat of sea level (from our 4,500 feet) – to leave all the brilliant color behind – and to continue our travels to Nicaragua.

La Antigua E & G saying bye for now;-)

Just like that we were in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and off to Land’s End, which lies at the southernmost tip of the 1,000 mile long Baja Peninsula – and where the Sea of Cortez joins the Pacific Ocean.  The rugged coastline of towering granite cliffs leads to El Arco, the natural rock arch that rises starkly from the sea.  We were there with all the other tourists getting our pictures of the spot – –

El Arco at Land’s End in Cabo.

Debby, Rebecca and Elizabeth enjoying the harbor sights on the way back from Land’s End.

San Jose del Cabo was the next stop.  This pedestrian-friendly Old Town is the home of the Iglesia de San Lucas, which is the central church built in 1730 and still retains many of its original features.

Inglesia de San Lucas.

Acapulco, Mexico followed another hard day at sea – especially the cooking class on grilling;-)  Acapulco is a major sea port and the largest city in its state.  The views from the ship provided colorful and interesting pictures.  Unfortunately, those are the only pictures we have – as we heeded the warnings from our State Department and did not leave the Marina;-(  That was OK, though, as it provided another day for massages and a rousing game of Wizard!

Views of Acapulco from the ship.

Goodbye Mexico – on our way to Central America.

Relaxed and happy – E & G

January, 2017 we took our first cruise – a Jazz Cruise in the Caribbean.  It was decided another cruise would be in the future IF it was through the Panama Canal or to St. Petersburg.  Within months of this decision, friends Jim & Rebecca emailed saying a cruise through the Panama was on their radar.  No grass grows under our feet – so we were signed up within minutes of that first email!!  It seems that friends Debby & Richard were also enamored with the suggestion – so we had a merry band of six aboard the Oceania Marina on April 6th bound for a voyage down the west side of Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, through the Panama Canal, Columbia and Grand Cayman;-)

April 5th we rented a car and drove to Long Beach, CA, where we would board our ‘floating Magic’!  The harbor was beautiful that evening and Long Beach was very busy preparing for the Grand Prix that was to be held the following weekend – –

Our hotel overlooked the Queen Mary and the harbor.

Some of the Grand Prix of Long Beach race course.

April 6th we boarded the Marina and were on our way;-)  Our first night took us a long way down the west coast from Long Beach to San Diego – a VERY exotic port (ha ha!!).

See our room just below the BIG forward ball?!?!

A beautiful sunrise on day 2.

Past Point Loma.

Toured the fabulous San Diego via a hop on-hop off bus;-)

The ‘at sea days’ were often spent getting massages (sorry – no pics of that little exercise) or in cooking classes.  The best part of those was eating what we cooked.  Especially the Mayan Cocoa Pots;-)

Do we look the part??

We had a great time with our friends Jim and Rebecca Malone and Richard and Debby Giss – AND ROCKY PALOMAS!!

Chicken, goat cheese and apple tacos AND a Rocky Paloma – YUM YUM.

Egg class included galettes, frittatas and the Mayan Cocoa Pots with a Mojito;-)

In another evening we will be in Mexico – see you then.

Cruising the Pacific – E & G on another new adventure with friends;-)

The Boys are Back!!  It is March and that means Spring Training is in full bloom in Arizona;-)  For Gary, all the childhood memories come flooding back as we take in several of the Dodger games out at Camelback Ranch – complete with Dodger Dogs, nachos, peanuts, root beer floats, etc. etc. etc.

Lets Go Dodgers!!!

Saw lots of talent, old and new.

Of course, there were more volleyball games for niece Demi – –

Another nice dig, girl;-)

And then there is always Spring Break!  This year it was granddaughter Haley’s turn for a trip in the Bus (which also included planes, trains and automobiles).

Haley’s first solo flight!  Arrived safe in AZ.

We all hopped into Magic and took a short drive up 89 to Williams, AZ – gateway to the Grand Canyon.  AND a great stop on Route 66;-)

Exploring Historic Route 66 in downtown Williams.

Haley enjoyed her first Dairy Queen on Route 66 – an original.

Now for the train – All Aboard the Grand Canyon Special for a quick trip to the South Rim of Grand Canyon NP.  Just before boarding, we were ‘held up’ by a few rough characters –

The Wild West show at the Williams train station.

The Grand Canyon Railway taking us to Grand Canyon National Park.

And then – there it was!  The sight that stunned President Theodore Roosevelt into silence.  After he recovered his voice he said “In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which, so far as I know, is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world . . . Leave it as it is.  You cannot improve on it, and man can only mar it.”  Thus, it was established as a National Park in 1919.

We all enjoyed Haley’s first visit to the Grand Canyon.

The immensity of the Canyon is indicated by its outsized statistics – the canyon chasm is 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide and its average depth is one mile.  A ‘bucket list item’ for many is to hike the Bright Angel Trail to the Phantom Ranch.  While we didn’t quite make it that far – we did take our turn on the trail – –

We are off – on the Bright Angel Trail.

We also had lunch in the Arizona Room at the Bright Angel Lodge, checked out the historic El Tovar Hotel, Kolb Studio, Lookout Studio and the Hopi House – –

Went shopping in the Hopi House.

Then we walked the South Rim Trail and ran into a couple of these guys – –

Haley’s first close encounter with an Elk.

Beautiful vistas along the way.

Time came to reboard the train and head back to Williams and Magic.  But Wait!!  we were robbed!!

These guys looked suspiciously like the robbers in the morning Wild West Show.

Our adventure proved to be fun, enlightening and awe inspiring.  A good time was had by all – and all were exhausted;-)

But, not too much time to waste.  Up early the next day and off to Bearizona, where we drove through a wonderful rescue facility to see wolves, bison and bears – –

What a motley crew!

We saw wolves…

Bison (not sure what the tongue is after here).

These two bears seemed to be playing “King of the Mountain” in the tree.

These guys were not about to let the crows get ahold of their carrots.

The otters had a palyful romp..

I think we interrupted the bobcats nap.

One of the best parts of Bearizona is the raptor show.  They ruffled OUR feathers/hair as they flew barely above our heads!!

The owls and falcons flew over and through the audience.

This crow was on duty to collect donations at the end of the show.

Then there was this beautiful guy!  Would NOT want to meet him without the glass between us.

The jaguar never stopped pacing.

Another day ended and we headed back to Magic for a birthday dinner for Gramps – complete with peanut butter pie and a Route 66 cap to remind him of the trip 😉

An early birthday for Gramps!

Just like that, March came and went.  But, it left us with some wonderful memories (and great pics).

E & G – happy as always;-)

What would February be without all the Biaett girls’ birthdays?!?!  This was a special year as niece Demi turned ‘Sweet 16’, sister Barb was ‘double nickels’ and Mom Dorthy was on the backside of the 80’s;-)

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday to all y’all.

When you are 86 you get to celebrate all month long – over and over and over again –

A little more celebrating.

February Birthday celebration at Belmont Village.

And I thought the Minnie Mouse hats were a hoot. This takes the cake.

Between all the birthday celebrations we tried yet another new activity – The Arabian Horse Show at Westworld in Scottsdale.  Neighbors invited us to an event so we got a backstage look and talk on the history, breeding, raising, training and showing of the Arabian.  Beautiful animals – –

This little gal pranced quite nicely as a very informative presentation on the history of Arabian horses was given. 

Then we had a chance to watch some of the competition.

Then we were off to Tucson in Magic for a Tiffin Rally, where we attended informative sessions by various vendors whose products ‘run’ our coach.  Our home base for the week was the Pima County Fairgrounds with 300 other Tiffin coaches!!  We all looked alike;-)

 E is standing in front of Magic – fourth coach from the left.

The birds eye view from G’s drone;-)

Of course, there was more volleyball.  February always brings a HUGE 3-day tournament held at Cardinal Stadium, which brings in teams from all over the west.  Boy – is it noisy in that place!!!

HUGE tournament at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Niece Demi (2) is digging it!

Two happy members of the cheering squad.

And so the second month of 2018 is suddenly gone.  What will March bring??

See you again soon – E & G from Scottsdale

2018 is here and we are off and running.  First stop LaQuinta for a fun filled three days of visiting, eating, golfing, eating, visiting, hiking – – and a ‘friendly’ tournament of Wizard with friends Debby, Richard, Rebecca & Jim (our Panama cruise buddies)!!  The weather was beautiful, the accommodations A-One and the company was – PRICELESS!

La Quinta Golf Club provided beautiful views, both landscape…

… and wildlife.

The National Preserve area provided a little exercise.

Interesting graffiti along the way.

And – what would January in Scottsdale be without the Waste Management Open ?!?!  E&G worked a shift in the concessions stand on Monday in order to have passes for the entire week;-)  G spent most of the day Wednesday following several players around with his camera (no cameras allowed Thursday – Sunday) getting just the right ‘shot of the day’.

Rickie Fowler.

Jordon Spieth trying to help his putt with body english.

Phil Mickelson tipping his hat after sinking a long one.

Rickie Fowler coming out of the sand. Ball is just above the cameraman’s hand.

And E&G spent most of Thursday on that infamous 16th hole – –

Early – – and still fairly calm.

Of course there was lots of volleyball – watching niece Demi almost every weekend;-)

Go Girl!!

Good get!

Nice serve.

And several concerts at MIM.  There have been so many really fun, entertaining acts already this year – including Al Jardine from the Beach Boys.  What a nice walk down memory lane;-)

January ended in a flash with that beautiful Full Blue Blood moon over Scottsdale – –

Another year is on its way.

E & G up and running;-)

Here we go – Round 3!  The Schusler family (or Shoe Crew) arrived on the 26th and we celebrated – AGAIN!!  There were more presents to open, feasts to be had, visiting to be done and LOTS of activities.

Olivia, Haley and Kira trying to be patient waiting to open gifts.

Christian’s Dad, John, and his wife, Joyce, joined us for a couple of days with the granddaughters.   We had another Christmas dinner – this time a southwest Christmas menu of tacos, tamales and tortilla casserole on the patio on a beautiful warm December day;-)

A good time was had by all on this awesome winter day.

Time for activities!  Trying to keep 9 & 11 year olds busy is a real challenge!!  First up – music making – –

This year’s Christmas poppers contained all the makings of a one octive xzylophone.

Great Grandma Dorthy – “What song are we playing this time??”

— then off to manicures – –

The girls had a spa day…

…with colorful results.

— make-up by Demi – –

Demi provides a makeup lesson.

–that torturous game of Twister;-( – –

Butts Up!!

–and tree climbing – –

up a tree without a ?????

In the Phoenix area – what would the holidays be without Zoo Lights?  We were really lucky the night of our visit as both Fiesta Bowl team bands were at the Zoo for a little friendly competition before the BIG game.

Thousands of lights – enjoyed by all.

Our three little monkeys;-)

Up close and personal with the Washington Huskies mascot.

Of course – G & E could not let the girls come to Phoenix without taking them to the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM).

Off to MIM – always a hit.

Guide Gramma was giving the girls the VIP tour.

Kira plays the Theremin.

Olivia enjoying the Gamelan.

There was also a fun afternoon at the Train Park – –

Giddy-up….

and train ride – go figure – at the Train Park?!?!

As they say – all good things must come to an end.  2017 was about to be over and 2018 was on its way.  To say good-bye to the old year, we all had an exciting evening at the Scottsdale Princess where we dined, rode the ferris wheel, ice sleds and the Christmas Express train around the Lagoon of Lights, had hot chocolate and made s’mores and met up with lots of princesses;-)

A warm fire and s’mores – what could be better to bring in 2018?!?!

A visit with a princess.

Another year ends and a new begins.  How fortunate we have been!

We wish all good things for you in the coming year;-)  Thank you for all your kind thoughts as you have journeyed with us through 2017.  Hope to see and hear from you in 2018.

With Lots of Love – Elizabeth & Gary – xoxoxoxo

For about 12 years now (except 1 year when the races were cancelled due to lack of snow), we have headed to Beaver Creek (BC) the first weekend in December for the only World Cup Ski Races in the US.  Admittedly – we are Ted Ligety ‘groupies’ and he has taken 1st place many years at these races.  It all began with the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy – when we were sharing an apartment with Ted’s parents as he won his first Olympic Gold Medal;-)  The whole experience was unbelievably exciting – never to be forgotten.  So – each year we trek to BC to remind us of that incredible February day and to watch Ted be interviewed, race and enjoy his new little one, Jax.

Steve Nyman and Ted Ligety being interviewed in advance of the races.

Ted, son Jax and Grandma Cyndi.

While the races were NOT cancelled this year as they were last year – there was VERY little snow except on the race runs (FIS & BC had done an incredible job of prepping the race course so the races could be held).  So for the first time ever, we got to walk the golf course we stay on because it was not snow covered.  That was a good news – bad news event – –

Oh crap! Who knew, ski races and no snow, we should’ve brought our clubs.

The next couple of weeks were filled with activities.  Friends from Park City came to visit and we had a nice evening and afternoon with Sarah and her sons, Cash and Tor.

Enjoying Scottsdale Christmas with Cash and Tor (Mom Sarah taking the photo).

There are always lots of volleyball games on Saturdays with niece, Demi – –

Niece Demi’s volleyball season is up and running.

— and our annual trip to the Desert Botanical Gardens for the luminarias.  The last several years there has been a special exhibit during the holiday season, so we get a 2-4-1 experience – the luminarias and the special exhibit.  This year it included the sculptures of Jun Kaneko (discussed a few posts back when there was a similar exhibit at the David Wright House).  An awesome evening;-)

Fun to see the Jun Kaneko ceramic sculptures rising out of the desert!

By this time – the full Christmas season was upon us.  The Biaett’s loaded into Barb’s car and ventured to the Illuminations display.  Thousands of lights ‘twinkling’ to various Christmas songs amaze you as one drives through in the car – with hot chocolate at the end;-)

Illuminations

The Biaett Christmas ornament.

Then it was Christmas morning and presents were a plenty!!

Opening packages at Barb, Andrew and Demi’s on Christmas morning.

After presents, breakfast and brief naps we were on to round 2!  Everyone appeared at our house for Christmas dinner, good cheer and thankfulness for a wonderful year.

Getting ready for Christmas dinner at our house.

From our house to yours – we hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebration!  We now had to get ready for round 3 – as the Shoe Crew was on their way for more celebration;-)

Elizabeth & Gary at home in Scottsdale