Langosta Beach

The cool ocean breeze and soothing sound of the waves endlessly rolling in on Langosta Beach are timeless. Please indulge me in this moment of personal reflection as I have just returned from the joy of my older son's wedding to his smart, witty and lovely bride.

My son lives in Argentina and his wife is Argentine. They chose a Caribbean island for their wedding last week, one stop on a cruise. There was a small reception following the wedding on a picturesque beach, then a dinner back on the cruise ship, and then two days later the official reception occurred in one of the night clubs on the ship, which they had reserved for the family and friends who joined them for the cruise.

My new daughter-in-law's family deserves a lot of credit for planning festivities for an extraordinarily memorable wedding. The cruise provided an ideal setting for the two families to spend time with each other in a relaxing environment.

The bride's sister and her husband put together a video to show at the reception that was masterful. They assembled childhood photos of my son and his bride, growing up on different continents, in different cultures, speaking different languages, yet having parallel childhood experiences. A photo of one youngster in a childhood activity was followed by the other child engaged in a similar activity. It was a masterful and heartwarming depiction of the universality of childhood and human nature when nurtured by loving families.

One lapse of planning, however, was that my son asked if he could use our condo for the honeymoon, but both of my condos had previously been rented and were not available.

My absence for the wedding is responsible for my inability to respond to comments that readers have left for the last two weeks, for which I apologize. is a view south down Langosta Beach from the area of our condo that I showed in my post yesterday.

We have photos of the Atacama Desert of northern Chile on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week. It is an amazing, colorful, barren landscape.

Back home on the beach

After my very long (I hope not too long) series of photos of a Costa Rican ranch, it is time to return to our beach condo.

This is a photo of Langosta beach, with our condo barely visible peaking above the trees. There are some beachfront mansions behind the trees on the left. In the future I will give you a look at some of those houses. They provide quite a contrast to the ranch house that we saw in my last series.

We have photos of the Atacama Desert of northern Chile on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week. It is an amazing, colorful, barren landscape.

Ranch house cow hide

The ranch house had this skin hanging on the outside. I think it is from a cow, as there are no other animals this size in the area.

I think that they might have built this part of the ranch house using wood from someplace else because it looks like some of the boards were painted before this addition was built. Otherwise, it would not make much sense to paint some of the planks and not others.

This is the final photo in this series from our visit to a local ranch. I hope you have found it of interest. Julie and I enjoyed the chance to see everyday life of a local family up close, rather than staying in the tourist and international community of Tamarindo, where very few Costa Ricans live. Even our local lawyer lives in the next town inland because, as he explains, he wants to pay "Tico prices."

We have photos of the Atacama Desert of northern Chile on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week. It is an amazing, colorful, barren landscape.

This house is branded

The ranch house had these brands burned into the wood on the side of the house. I don't know if it is a tradition for ranchers in Costa Rica to brand their houses similar to the way ranchers brand cattle.

The branding is not used like house numbers or street addresses because these brands were not visible from the street. Costa Rica does not have street addresses, so people would not be used to labeling or numbering their houses. To tell people where something is located, people just say where it is near, using a landmark that everyone will know, such as a restaurant, store or hotel.

Tomorrow will be the final installment in this series of our visit to the ranch. The post may be a little controversial.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing a few more photos from our trip last Thanksgiving to the Atacama desert in Northern Chile. It was in the news a lot last year due to the Chilean miners who miraculously survived an unimaginable ordeal. It is an amazing, colorful, barren landscape.

Cat's eyes

This cat has one blue eye and one yellow eye. I don't know why, although I suspect it is just an unusual genetic accident.

Perhaps cats are susceptible to genetic mutations. I remember that at Ernest Hemmingway's house in Key West, Florida, there are a lot of 6-toed cats who are descendants of Hemmingway's 6-toed cats.

We have photos of the fall colors on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Cat

This cat seemed relaxed on the front porch of the ranch house. Julie used to have two cats, each of which she rescued and each lived for more than 20 years. She rescued the cats and cared for them even though she is allergic to cats and they would make her arm swell with welts.

There is something very unusual about this cat, as I will show in tomorrow's photo.

We have photos of the fall colors on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Pig face

It was difficult to get good photos of the pigs in the pens. There was not very much light, and when we could attract the attention of the pigs to try to get a photo of their faces, they seemed curious about us and would walk close and get out of focus.

This pig is probably thinking that we have funny looking, pointed noses.

This is my last pig photo. We will return to a more attractive animal tomorrow.

We have photos of the fall colors on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Pig

After yesterday's photo of a puppy, I hope you will not mind this pig photo. This is a working ranch, after all. They had about 20 pens for pigs. The coloration of this pig was particularly striking, although I will admit that I am not very knowledgeable about pigs.

We have photos of the fall colors on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Puppy

Of course the presence of puppies drew us like a magnet to try to get a closer photo. They did not stay still for long, but this puppy did pose for a moment.

Sorry, but I will take you from one extreme today to the other on the animal cuteness scale.

We have photos of the fall colors on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Puppies

The puppies were glad to be away from the geese. They seemed to enjoy each other's company more than the hostile geese.

We have photos of the fall colors on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Geese and puppies

Another puppy came running down the driveway, and the geese seemed to think that the driveway was their territory at that moment. In this photo, the geese are honking at the puppy to make sure that he runs along.

The geese are bigger than the puppy, and they do not have the friendliness of puppies. I think the puppy is wise to run on through and not hang out with the geese.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing another set of photos of Julie's recent trip to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The fall colors are striking.

Geese heading down the driveway

The geese walked right through the gate and then down the driveway. They must have a place where they spend the night out by the entrance to the ranch, as they went right by all of the animals in the corral.

And, yes, that is a puppy next to the truck.

Top answer a question that Memphis MoJo left in a comment yesterday, all of the geese seemed to know where to go and did not really have to be led by one particular goose.

Kate asked about the house beig elevated, and I do not know the reason. Houses in Costa Rica are usually not elevated, and this house was not close to a river where houses might be elevated to avoid flooding.

This week we are showing photos of the Canadian Thanksgiving on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Julie joined some good friends there last month.

Geese crossing the corral

The geese knew exactly what to do next. The walked across the corral and headed for the gate on the other side.

In this photo you can also see that the ranch house is elevated from the ground a few feet and that they store fire wood under the house. The only reason for the firewood is the smoke room in the middle of the house where they were smoking the block of cheese that I showed earlier in this series.

This week we are showing photos of the Canadian Thanksgiving on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Julie joined some good friends there last month.

Geese heading into the corral

The geese walked across the pasture and into the corral, without being rounded up. They all seemed to know it was time to come in, and they knew where to go. They did not stop upon waddling into the corral, however. We'll follow them some more, tomorrow.

This week we are showing photos of the Canadian Thanksgiving on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Julie joined some good friends there last month.

Geese

Enough of the four legged animals in the pasture. Here is a photo of a gaggle of geese that live on the ranch. It looks like they are lined up and walking. Do you wonder where they are going? You will have to come back tomorrow and the next few days to find out.

This week we are showing photos of the Canadian Thanksgiving on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Julie joined some good friends there last month.

Sheep

In addition to the goats that I showed in my photo yesterday, the pasture of this ranch had lots of sheep. Sheep make more sense to me than goats, as they are obviously a source of wool and lamb.

Of course in Costa Rica people do not wear wool clothing, but I am sure that there are other good uses for wool, such as rugs, material for cushions, and more.

This week we are showing photos of the Canadian Thanksgiving on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Julie joined some good friends there last month.

Goats

In addition to the cows, the pasture of this ranch has lots of goats. I don't know what use goats are, except for making goat cheese. I guess goats are also good for clearing brush, but these pastures are already clear.

This week we are showing photos of the Canadian Thanksgiving on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Julie joined some good friends there last month.

Nice Cow. Say Cheese.

I told you yesterday that I did not get very close to the cow when I took his picture. My wife took this photo of me taking a picture of the cow. I am glad that it is a rather boring photo because if this were an action shot, I would be in a lot of trouble. I have no desire to be involved in a Costa Rican equivalent of the running of the bulls. But if this were a bull, I would not be standing in the same pasture.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing photos of the Canadian Thanksgiving on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, from Julie's trip there last month.

Big cow

In addition to the little calves and goats, the pasture of this ranch is home to larger cattle. I walked out part way into the pasture to get this photo, but I used my telephoto and did not get very close, for obvious reasons.

Although this cow has rather mean looking horns, it is not a bull, as the udder shows. My wife, Julie, belonged to Future Farmers of America when she was youth growing up just outside Phoenix, Arizona. She was a udder judger. I like to tease her about being an udder judger, so I am sure she will be embarrassed that I am doing it again, through this post.

We have photos of the Villa Balbianello on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful Villa that straddles the tip of a peninsula in Lake Como, Italy.

Horses, corral and ranch house

This is a nice view of two of the ranch horses in the corral, with the ranch house in the background. You can see the porch that I showed in photos earlier in this series.

This ranch had a couple of tractors parked under a roof. I did not think until after we left that we took photos of the horses, cows and other animals, but neglected to take any photos of the tractors. Sorry, but I much prefer animals to machines.

We have photos of the Villa Balbianello on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. Iy is a delightful Villa that straddles the tip of a peninsula in Lake Como, Italy.

Special care for a blind calf

After this calf was born,the ranchers noticed that the mother was not caring for it. The reason is that the calf is blind. The ranchers therefore keep the calf in a special pen and feed the calf milk from a bottle with a nipple.

It is sometimes said that you can measure the humanity of a culture by how they treat their people with special needs. In this case, I think that the warmth and ethics of Costa Ricans are displayed well by how these ranchers treat a baby cow with special needs.

We have photos of the Villa Balbianello on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful villa that straddles the tip of a peninsula in Lake Como, Italy.

Cows in the corral

These cows appeared curious about our cameras. Either that or the are willing to pose for a photo.

The Brahman cattle have an oily skin and very short hair. They are more resistant to insects and diseases than other cows. They are often cross bred with Angus and Hereford cattle to combine the best traits of both breeds.

Tomorrow I will show you a very special young cow, with special needs.

We have photos of the Villa Balbianello on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful villa that straddles the tip of a peninsula in Lake Como, Italy.

Cattle in the corral

These cows are more typical of the barnyard animals that one would expect in the corral, rather than the miniature deer that I showed in yesterday's photos.

The smooth skin and big ears are characteristic of Brahman cattle, which are the most popular breed in our area of Costa Rica. They are better adapted to the warm, humid weather than other breeds of cattle.

We have photos of the Villa Balbianello on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful villa that straddles the tip of a peninsula in Lake Como, Italy.

Barnyard deer

Old McDonald had a farm. EE--I--EE--I--O. And on his farm he had some deer. EE--I--EE--I--O.

Yesterday's photo showed three small deer who were hanging out in the corral with the chickens. Here is a closer view of one of them. The ranchers seemed to treat the deer just like domesticated animals. The deer were smaller than North American deer.

We have photos of the Villa Balbianello on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. It is a delightful Villa that straddles the tip of a peninsula in Lake Como, Italy.

Corral, with chickens and what?

This is part of the corral, with chickens as one would typically expect to see on a ranch or farm. But this corral has some animals that you would not expect to see in a typical barnyard scene, as I assume you can see in this photo.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing photos of the Villa Balbianello, which occupies the tip of a peninsula that juts into the middle of Lake Como, Italy. It is a spectacular setting for a uniquely beautiful house and gardens.

Bringing the calf into the corral

The cowboy who we saw earlier fixing the fence in the pasture across the road later brought in a calf and a horse from another pasture to the corral. We visited in the late afternoon, and I guess the calf belongs in the corral for the evening. This calf has big floppy ears, typical of brahma cattle common in Costa Rica.

In the days ahead I will show photos some of the animals in the corral and stable.

This week we have photos of a mussel ranch in Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Coming in from the pasture

It is near the end of the afternoon, so I guess it is time to gather some of the animals from the pasture and herd them into the corral, as this rancher is doing.

This week we have photos of a mussel ranch in Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Corral fence and pasture

Here is another interpretation of the theme of fences. This fence separates the corral that encloses the stables from an outer corral, beyond which is another pasture.

In the days ahead I will show you some of the livestock that is part of this ranch. I hope you are not growing tired of this rather long series of Costa Rican ranch life, but if you continue to check this site in the days ahead, you will be in for a few surprises.

This week we have photos of a mussel ranch in Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Ranch pen and house

Continuing with yesterday's theme of fences, here is the fence between the pasture, on the left, and the corral on the right, with the ranch house in the background.

This week we have photos of a mussel ranch in Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Theme Day: Fences

Today's world-wide Dailly Photo Theme is "fences." I am posting this photo of a rancher fixing his fence as a tribute to all of the people who have built and maintained fences. It can be hard work that the rest of us take for granted.

I liked the expression on his face. Ticos, as Costa Ricans are called, are friendly by nature. Costa Rica has recently been rated as the happiest country on earth.

Ticos are courteous and helpful to tourists. Everyone knows that tourism is the number one industry in the country and very important to the economy and standard of living.

This week we have photos of a mussel ranch in Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

To see how other City Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted the theme of "fences," Click here to view thumbnails for all participants