Day 18

The mist clung low over our valley this morning as we walked up and out of it into the clear blue sky.It has been so hot and sunny this week! Because of this we’ve been working hard each day on building, and having today off was welcomed. We missed our bus into town (again!) and nearly missed the 9am bus as well!

We were all sitting in the bus stop, laughing at our conversation when it passed, and we lept out and tried to flag it down, too late for the driver to stop. But he did come to a stop 100 feet down the road, and we ran to catch up, laughing at ourselves the whole way.

We met up again for siesta, and went to the bird sanctuary in town. We stopped to buy provisions for a fine picnic at the grocery store, and ended up at Jardin de los Paharos in a sweaty mess, with four liters of beer, one of water, tarta (like egg and onion quiche), pears and plums, carrots and cucumber and hummus, olives and pickles, and three kinds of our favorite brand of cookie (all of which taste like graham crackers with different things in them). A little girl, Mariana, found us shortly after our arrival in the shade where we sat on a log, surrounded by tall trees covered in epiphytes. She asked if she could have some of our pickles and sat herself down to chat. It was refreshing to me that this 6-year-old understood us fluidly and wasn’t stunted by our unfortunate pronunciations. Conversation with her flowed easily and she was so patient with us!

These ants found a cookie crumb that was much bigger than them, and together dragged it home...

I'm not sure where these black caterpillars were going, but they moved together in a big mass, climbing over one another as they went.
These flowers were in bloom throughout the park,
And there were many birds to be seen...
These owls had the coolest faces,
and this hawk had only one eye!
I'm pretty sure that this is that cute little owl you got pictures of when you came, Jon... he's all grown up!
The bamboo was beautiful, arching over waterways and bridges.
Apparently, these people wanted us to know they had found this place too:
Beautiful leaves in sun and shade...
the park was so welcoming with its shady greenery on this hot, sunny day.

Sasha, Maggie, and Keren:Looking up through the leaves:
Some flowers on the walk home:
And peoples' yards here... a good display of local culture.
Walking through one of the parks in town:

With much determination, we finally made it back to the bus stop in time for the 5:30 bus home,

and arrived home in time for a swim before the delicious dinner of cabbage salad that Kimberly made. We found this beetle on the driveway walking back... I think I scared him by putting my camera directly in his face. Poor little guy...

It is the full moon tonight, and we have written affirmations to the moon, detailing what we are letting go this month in honor of making space for new, more resonant manifestations. The light from the moon is bright out here without a roof to sleep under, and it has set my mind in motion, going over and over things I‘d like to address in my life. I guess it must be a good time to say out with the old, in with the new! Here I am, ready for what is to come.