Critters of Costa Rica!

Another beautiful day in paradise, however, there are a few unpleasant residents here. We have seen spiders as large as apples, a scorpion and a poisonous snake that a coffee worker had killed! We have been told they are not usually so large and do not bother unless stepped on. Now when we walk the property we look down!!!

Yesterday we met our closest neighbors who are not well liked in Berlin. They are Americans with 2 small boys that attend school here in Berlin. Unfortunately, they have 4 large not very friendly dogs and we had to call first so they could be tied. The locals are not happy that their dogs run loose. Costa Rican dogs are very well behaved. Maria & Danilo's 2 dogs remain in the back yard and never set foot in their house!

Meeting our new neighbors was a pleasant experience, sans dogs, and we enjoyed seeing their home finished. The style is similar to what we would like to build. Sherry Ann and the boys speak Spanish fluently, but Mark does not. We gathered as much information as we could in a first visit and left with a wonderful bag of coffee from their property. They pick all their coffee and take care of their plants for extra money. It seems we should have some income from our coffee when we are here!

Today we are going to have lunch with Doug and Barb an American couple that lives here in Berlin. They have a very beautiful "American" home which is much fancier than we hope to build.

After much confusion because of the language differences, we are staying here for our entire visit. We are pleased as we really enjoy being here and feel very comfortable. The Chavarria family, including their 3 boys and their families make us feel like we are also family!