Reflections on moving into the road

We took a family surfing lesson today – first lesson ever for all of us.  Elder at Patos Surfing was kind, patient, relaxed, attentive, and encouraging with each of us.  Of course, his demonstrations made surfing look so simple, so graceful.  As with many sports, I’m pretty bad (. . . so far)!  I need more leg strength to pop right up rather than struggle up awkwardly (same as when I low lunge in yoga), and more balance.  Hmm – something to practice!  We get to use the boards free for the next 5 days so will practice a bit and see if I can at least enjoy a few “standing” stints.  For now I sit with an ice pack on my right knee (which hit the sand hard first time I went down – I think that’ll be purple!). Spencer declared it, on a scale of 1-10, as a 12.  He loved it, and popped up on the board each time as though gravity isn't a thing. 

 

Last Sunday on a beautiful beach, I nonchalantly added my cell phone to Neil’s phone in his dry bag – which unfortunately didn’t stay dry.  Wish I’d taken my chances with leaving it on the beach in our backpack.  Then while drying his out from the saltwater baptism (sans protective cover), Neil then dropped it from a bunkbed onto a hard tile floor.  Urgh, sorry phones.  Until / unless we buy a new one here, that means far fewer pictures and less connection both with local logistics and far-off friends/family (ironic, huh, since one of my 3 words is connection?).  Lesson learned anew on diversification of risk. 

I had the sense from our last trip 10 years ago (see prior blog at Neil and Yvette’s Travels and Travails), that it might take some time to “move in” to the road – that this first month in Costa Rica might feel like a mix of regular vacation, plus mentally getting used to being on “the road”  plus finalizing/processing admin stuff (wow that list seems endless – purchasing health and travel insurance for this year, turning in claims from all the medical appointments we had to get READY for this trip both to insurance plus HSA claims, finalizing utility switchovers to the renters, etc.).  COVID seems to add a tiny refugee quality to our experience (tho of course this is nothing relative what many refugees endure, big respect and compassion there, my thoughts are especially with those fleeing / trying to flee Afghanistan now).  Even here we’re still keeping to ourselves a bit more than normal, and the potential next / future countries is a short list, even than we’d thought given how the Delta variant is thriving.  For several nights now, Kamilla’s melt downs have included that she must go back home; it seems to hit her most at bedtime, and tonight was focused on our cat Jinx.  Concurrently, I know Kamilla's’s having fun during the day -- declared favorite thing today was boogey-boarding.   

Kamilla did Spencer's hair (what she wanted) while he talked about Minecraft (what he wanted)

And so I observe my/our emotions as we “move in” to this trip.  Three (-ish) words I hold right now for the year include stillness/space, connection, and play.  I imagine / aspire to a somewhat zen state, being reflective, journaling, being healthy with yoga and eating well, mindfully reading meaningful books, joyfully connecting with my family and new friends.  But often the reality is much messier – here I’m often managing for being hot, sticky, avoiding ants on our counter, preparing food, washing dishes, parenting, helping “solve problems” with (often squabbles between) the kids, etc.  While I think the jungle and all it’s critters are amazing – I have a hard time connecting to a sense of wonder.  As the honeymoon of a new place wears off and we each lack usual comforts, routines, toys to go be alone with – we get grumpy with each other.  I try to direct myself and the kids to small comforts when we need to – a movie, potato chips, a nap, dip in the pool, space from each other, a walk.  It feels a bit self-absorbed to reflect on this.  And I try to be patient and compassionate with all these emotions as I notice them – in myself and others.  I think that’s what part of space/stillness, and connection, and play all mean. 

School: math via bananagrams tile analysis

Today we turned in our little golf cart we’ve enjoyed for the last week (nicknamed “nova roja” as it was slow and red), and tomorrow we’ll get a rental car to facilitate our jaunts about.  Today we even did some school.  Had a yummy bruschetta, spaghetti, salad and watermelon dinner on the porch with our mosquito coil smoking under the table.  Now I’m enjoying a lovely rainstorm pounding on our roof, and we’re dry and cozy inside, and headed to bed soon.

The Bicycle Trip (8/20)

Nesting Sea Turtle

 The morning had started off well, family was rallied to awake at 4:45 a.m. and schlepp off to ford a river and hike down the beach in search of a turtle nesting or babies scuttling back to the ocean.  Within 10 minutes on the beach we spotted the tracks heading up from the surf and saw a female flipping sand about her clutch.  We watched from 15 meters back or so as she finished her work and made her way back down the beach and swam away into the sea. 

Kamilla and I had explored Playa Buena Vista the morning before, but this was the first time for Spencer and mom.  We walked down the beach and found a research station that was set up for the conservation of turtles and also to help in their recovery.  They often remove part of a clutch of eggs from a nest and then incubate them at the research station until they hatch 40 – 55 days later.  A man came out from the station and showed us a short video on an ipad of some babies that had hatched and been released in the last day or so.   

We had arrived back in our family golf cart by 10 a.m. and I was ready to get back out into the wild and explore some.  I’d just been reading about Playa Berrigona (where Mel Gibson has a house) and decided this would be a great destination for me about 7 km away, albeit with a few ups and downs included in that distance.  Did I mention this was our 26^th anniversary and I was planning to just leave Yvette with the kids for a few hours? 

We had previously attempted to go to this beach with our golf cart, but realized there was a river flowing across the road and turned back there.  Having watched a tractor and a man on horse back go across, I thought I could just carry the bicycle and continue on the road.  

Playa Barrigona

I readied the mountain bike and embarked.  The river was forded with ease and a few hills were climbed with less ease as I panted and sometimes pushed the bike up the path. I watched some animals, a Caracaras eating a flattened lizard in the road, and a hen with her brood scratching at leaf litter and grabbing bugs and enjoyed the constant chorus of birds and insects.   A few raindrops fell as I reached the beach and parked the bike.  The beach had soft white sand, a small river flowing into it, and some beautiful shells.  I watched the beach and watched crabs de-sanding their burrows… and scurrying with the surf’s rhythm.  I ate a few snacks by a little trickling waterfall as a light rain fell, and after an hour I was back on the bike heading back. 

Highway 160

The rain started to pick up and felt cool and refreshing on my face.  I stopped for a fruit popsicle as the rain started in greater earnestness, but this past after 10 minutes and I continued.  Vanity is such an interesting thing.  Two local ladies were chatting beside the road as I passed and one smiled and hailed me as though I was a cab and joked “Taxi!” (a motorcycle was just pulling up for them).  I laughed and continued, knowing they would probably come zipping by me any minute (they didn’t), I found myself not wanting to be found pushing the bike up the hill and that motivated me ¾ of the way to the top before I surrendered to my out-of-breath self and pushed the rest of the way up.  I was contemplating my pride as I listened to the howler monkeys above me and coasted down the hill back to the river crossing.  Unfortunately those few drops of rain at the beach had been evidently been heavier in the mountains.  The river was at least 2 feet higher and 15 meters or more wider.  The current was fast and rafts of logs and vegetation were rapidly moving by it.  The water was muddy brown and I pondered my recent knowledge and conversations about crocodiles in this river.  All cars and 4x4s approaching from both sides were turning back.  I called Yvette to let her know I might not be back on schedule and felt a bit stupid for not having anticipated this.  I had downloaded Google Maps for the region and could use this to see some alternate routes, I think the next best option would be about 40 km vs the 3 km that I had remaining if I could cross.   

Water level when I Arrived

The rain had stopped where I was, though the trees were still dripping in the breeze, so I waded through the muck and marked the waters edge, deciding to wait and see if the water would go down.

For an hour and a half I marked the water and explored a little bit continuing to see any cars turn back, and also to see that the river had gone down at least 1 ½ feet and shrunk several meters.  I pondered defeat and calling a taxi to take me the long way around with only a few hours left of daylight and my battery on the phone ebbing lower. 

Then a local man, Jonathan, came down on his one-speed bicycle.  He greeted me and looked at the river and asked where I was going. We talked a bit in Spanish.  He thought it would be about waist deep.  He started to take off his shoes and so I found my bravery in someone else wading into the river and we both shouldered our bikes and crossed the river moving downstream with the current at a diagonal and then walking back up once we had reached the shallows on the other side. 

I thanked Johnathan for his example and companionship, and we both peddled off muddy and barefoot towards our respective destinations.  I happy to be heading back to family with a story and a bit of chagrin for being gone 5 hours, and grateful that I wasn’t spending the night in a pension on the other side of the river, or sitting waiting for a taxi, or bitten by a large reptile or turned into a feast for mosquitos…  

Glad to be traveling through the world with Yvette and family and many kind people and benign bugs and critters.

Sothern California and Kansas Family love -- in pictures

Yvette here, still catching up in the midst of a Costa Rican rainstorm . . . . We had lots of family love between arriving in Southern California on August 3, and departing for Costa Rica on August 14.  We saw Yvette's family in S Cal, and flew/drove to Kansas to see Neil's family for 5 days.  I won't narrate all this, am just sharing pics with captions . . . enjoy!

With cousin Marley (Yvette's niece)

Go Jireh! (Yvette's nephew)

Spencer and Auntie Jeralyn (Yvette's sister), plus Joey

Upside down Marley

Kamilla with G'ma Judy and G'pa Jerald (Yvette's parents)

 

Neil, Kamilla and Lisa (Neil's sister) - "all birthday party"

Spencer and Yvette - Party hats!

Kamilla and G'ma Jacque's Russian dolls

 

Neil and his parents - Wes and Jacque

Kamilla changing batteries with G'pa Wes

Gerrans family (Neil's side) does tie-dye!

Arrival in Costa Rica! Bus ride, thunderstorms, and critters

(Written August 17 by Yvette, still catching up)

Waiting for the bus

We’re in Costa Rica!  Glad we spent the first night in San Jose, as we arrived late in the day.  Once again we experienced that our spontaneity garnered us a harder trip – as it was the week-end and a national holiday (Feliz dia de la Madre!), no
rental cars were available.  So on Sunday we took a 5-hr bus ride thru through beautiful green mountains that gave way to flat land, and in and out of vigorous thunderstorms.  Well after dark, we and our 5 suitcases plus guitar, booster seats, and backpacks (!) were deposited amidst torrential downpours by the “salumi y formaggi” shop, which thankfully had a small overhang and drainage that was in our favor.  With the help of a kind stranger, we got a taxi to our house and arrived – Casa Alpaca, our home for our month in Costa Rica! 

On Samara Beach

Kamilla has had the most adventurous time thus far.  Learning #1: the “elevator” bar stools can get your leg wedged on the underside of a rough concrete counter. #2: Lots of fascinating ants in Costa Rica, and some bite.  #3: Crummy tummy often lasts briefly; she had a rough/vomit-ey first night here, luckily was fine the next day.  She announced this at 4am with “Mom and Dad, I vomited over the edge of my bunk bed so it wouldn’t get on the bed!!” Good girl.  😊 #4: When riding on a bike behind dad, don’t get your foot near the wheel – even when your mom told you to put your feet on the bars rather than hanging down (sorry, sweetie).  Two kind men helped disentangle Kamilla’s ankle from the bike, brought ice, offered a ride, and reminded Neil that “no problem, they’re all our kids.” 

Cane toads -- about those neurotoxins?

We’ve also had lots of wildlife sightings, especially small ones – just around our house or along our road.  Ants, millipedes, spiders, leaf-disguised critters, beetles, bees and wasps.  A variegated squirrel.  Bats at dusk.  A cane toad (about 8” long nose to tail -- apparently can exude neurotoxins so we won't be touching those anymore), howler monkeys, an hourglass tree frog.  We were surprised by a scorpion when we moved an end table on our porch – he got an extra special escort across the road.  A Caligo Memnon butterfly.   Spencer likes the monkeys better than the spiders (and I agree - yay mammals!). 

Intrepid outdoorspeople

What Spanish we know is serving us well, we’re trying to push ourselves a bit and also help the kids learn. And, we’re in a very touristy area where lots of English is spoken so it’s easier for us.  It’s also easy to get whatever we need – groceries, cash, taxis.  Our house is ~1 mile from town so we’ve rented a golf cart that we’ve called “Nova Roja” because it’s red and very slow. We’ll do a bit of “pay to play” over the coming days, perhaps a whale/dolphin watching boat trip, perhaps a camp for the kiddos where they can be with other kids. 

Departure from home, re-connections with loved ones, and bye for now to Jinx

(Written on August 3, 2021 by Yvette -- please forgive as we catch up since we've been ON THE MOVE)

 

 

Welcome to our blog for the Gerrans Family 2021-2022 Travel Adventure! We’re excited to share our travels with friends, family, and loved ones, even though we’ve been told blogs are yesteryear, ha! As we’ve said “bye for now” many of you have expressed interest in what we’re up to, so we’ve liberally added folks to this first introductory email. You can subscribe or not, we won’t be offended. When we post, I’ll put on my FaceBook, but generally won't send an email.

We celebrated Neil’s 50th birthday on July 13 by going to Korean food since we can’t yet be in Korea physically as we’d hoped. Since then we’ve been super busy finishing house projects, completing doctor’s appointments, renting our house,and packing up. Kamilla’s drawing summarized the lead up to our trip nicely: “clean, show off, pack, leave, drive, play.” To our neighbors and Beacon Hill friends – you’ve rocked it, big gratitude for wiping out cupboards, mopping the floor, storing select things in your basement, helping us move heavy pieces, sending us on our way with fruit, cookies and other gifts, etc. You know who you are, thank you! Our cat Jinx also adapted beautifully – as big furniture was moved into storage, she moved her napping place from couch, to chair, to ottoman, and finally to packing boxes. 

We left home by car Saturday morning, July 31, at 11:30am, for a 2-week “see friends and family in the US” portion before we head to Costa Rica on August 14 – key handed off, final spots in the house cleaned, final hugs and good-byes shared, last-minute favors asked of neighbors – and Jinx safely caught and very unwillingly placed in her cat carrier (thank goodness for the “scruffing” reflex). First stop Saturday was to see Kamilla’s bio mom, Mommy Jordan, in Portland. Seeing Kamilla jump for joy as she and Jordan spotted each other was a great moment for all of us. We had a very nice visit, and good playground park fun together.

We then headed to Susie (Yvette’s cousin) and James’ house, along with Jamie and Alyssa, where Spencer decided it was a good visit to conquer the zip line (which he’d last-minute-declined on our prior visit). Other highlights included gathering eggs from the chickens, cutting dahlias, picking/eating HUGE blackberries, playing with dogs Charley and Lillibet, and a blind taste-test for best choc chip cookies. Sunday as we headed South we had lunch with friend and international travel afficionado Carla, who filled our bellies, delighted us with her laugh, and gave us favorite countries and suitcase recommendations. 

Monday to Albany, CA, where Angela and family (Mabel, James) welcomed Jinx into her lovely new home. Jinx’s job this year is to be Angela’s cat, since cat-housemate Wally apparently only prefers James. Word is that Jinx has settled in beautifully so far, see her here looking rather relaxed.

Then on to Vacaville for dinner with Yvette’s high-school/college friend Cynthia, where we took over her pool and enjoyed a too-brief catch-up over Thai food. Tuesday morning we celebrated a birthday with good friend Dan, wife Christina – from grad school days in Pittsburgh – and their kids Nikki and Daniel, in Roseville, CA. So great to catch up with good friends with whom you can pick up right where you left off. Now on to Loma Linda / Southern California to connect with Yvette’s family. This first bit we’ve been “on the move” much more than we hope to be for most of the year. We’re reminded how good it is to reconnect with treasured friendships even from long ago, and that we’ve been lucky at many points of our life to connect deeply and joyously with kindred spirits. And, we like road-trips, it’s been fun to travel with the kiddos, to pull off to enjoy a star-filled night sky, a field of livestock, or a harvesting scene, or to eat snacks you’d otherwise not cherish (here Kamilla enjoys cheerios with honey drizzled on, which she’d bought from a fruit stand with her own money – hence all the tastier).