I do not believe it! I've lost entire post

Ahhhk, I forgot to save a post mid stream and I guess the posts expire after some unknown time period.  Thus, I'm gonna have to start from the beginning of last weekend.  

Okay. On Friday I went with my family to Santa Cruz which is a small town (with a small Walmart) in the province of Guanacaste. Grandma and Grandpa live there and it was a birthday celebration for them and for for Massimo who turned 9.  Great idea but it meant 30 klms of driving on a dirt road downhill (and back) that is rocky,  full of curves, pot holes, cows and dogs on the road, people walking and the occasional crazy driver. An hour and a half of highway driving.  A note to the cautious: Costa Rican drivers are crazy crazy. They downshift to speed up all the time, pass where there are curves on a single lane dirt road, pass where there are double lines when on the highway and, never ever obey the speed. A harrowing life experience. Perhaps it's is because Ticos are often late, at least the men seem to be.  We did see a grey fox on the side of the road and an armadillo very slowly walking across the road on our way down.  Plus we had some fine dining at a Burger King.  I actually had a Whopper for the first time (first time a Burger King) and then got a whopper of a tummy ache.  

Saturday I awoke to a 90F with the forecast to be 97. Grandma insisted we have a traditional Tico breakfast of eggs, gallo pinto (rice and beans), tortillas, bread, 4 kinds of  fruit and the ubiquitous coffee.  She also had 3 different kinda of juices and coke if you wanted it. 

Note: living with Ticos reminds me of my trip to Jean Loup and Maria's wedding in Merida.  I remember being shocked at the amount of coke and other soft drinks everyone drank at all meals.  Latins seem to love their sugar and think nothing of adding it to fruit, or when making  juice, spicing up milk, or as topping on fruit....and to think I wouldn't allow "white death" in my house except for Christmas when the kids were young.  The friends of my kids used to call me the organic angel...well, my family here doesn't understand why I only want to drink water (or vino tinto) or coffee. 

after breakfast and trying to communicate to Grandma who I couldn't understand, I accompanied Marisella to the local ferria. So many fruits I have never seen.  My favourite is the maranyon .  It is orange red, shaped something like a pear with a cashew shaped stem and tastes a bit like a persimmon but sweeter.   It is called cashew fruit.

This is the maranyon fruit growing. 

In the afternoon we went out of town to a small ranch of some friends.  Chickens, dogs, friends, food (again), coke...of course...and rum if you wanted it.  One of the kids had found a small week old parakeet and was feeding it cornmeal mush 

The poor creature was so ugly it was adorable and you know who had to check it out up close.....

That night was the birthday fiesta for grandma, grandpa and Massimo.  It was to start at 5:30 but we went early at 6:30 and after 7 everybody arrived.  Ticos do not have an off switch for parties and I am told that the residents of Guanacaste love to drink and party.  We did!  At first they put me with the abeulas ( grandmothers) but I got bored and ended up chatting with the 20 -30 year olds who were hanging out, drinking beer and tequila and having a good time! More food, cerveza, rum (scotch for me) before the cake and piñata came out.  

The there was to be live music but by midnight I had it and fortunately so did grandma so I got to head back to the casa and hide in bed....plus the conversation was mostly in Spanish (thankfully everybody under 40 is bilingual) and I was, once again, exhausted.  

Sunday we lounged by the swimming pool which was welcome because the temperature hit 100F and at 5 had another road trip back on the highway and up the 30 klms on the dirt road to Monteverde.  

Happy it is the week and life is more regular.