Author: Flower Roberts

It is Friday the Thirteenth

| Flower Roberts

My dahlia post that I published on the wrong blog in the middle of the night is now lost in cyberspace. Sometimes it is easier to start over than backtrack.

Many strange things have happened since my hip replacement. My head is still spinning. When I tell folks about the events they ask if I am still on pain medication. The answer is no. The craziness could be from the eight nights of insomnia. I am laying low today since it is Friday the 13th. I feel like the universe is messing with me!

I am stuck on my decks for a while longer until I am more stable and all the railing has been installed. My daughter fell up some steps last week. We live on a hill, so there are few flat spaces and steps are everywhere.

I have watched my dahlias from afar. No watering, weeding , deadheading or feeding.

Here they are. Their success is a testament to the soil prep and the staking I did in April before my right hip gave out and I jarred the whole left side of my body stumbling down some steps as I wrestled with a hose.

Firepot dahlia
Snow Country dahlia
Thomas A. Edison and Katydid

I hope this post makes it to you. Thanks Susan for letting me know that the booboo was worse than anticipated.

FLOWER is going back to bed. I am too tired to handle any more mischief.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Excursions in Costa Rica

| Flower Roberts

We planned one excursion every other day. We did not want to get worn out. On the off days we swam in the pool or sat in the cabana to chat and plan. It helped to stay balanced between adventures.

Rawhide rocking chair

One trip was to ride a catamaran to an island to snorkel the reefs. We enjoyed meeting our fellow passengers.

Another was to hire a skiff to see wetland and marsh wildlife including crocodiles. Our guide was very careful and respectful of the creatures we were stalking.

Young crocodile

Our tours of two rainforests also included a trip to some hot springs in the evening.

Our guide,  Andrey Salazar, drove so we could relax and enjoy the sights. The locals have a secret route to avoid tourist traffic. That was a wild ride!

We did not shop for souveniers much so we stopped here on the way to the air port. It is a wonderful shop with gorgeous artwork.

We were sad to leave this wonderful place. It was a dream.

FLORA

Animals of Costa Rica

| Flower Roberts

Seeing different animals in their natural habitat was the thrill of a lifetime for me.

Toucan

There were also domesticated dogs and cattle wandering through the streets. Driving was a bit like an obstacle course due to animals and motorcycles zipping between traffic.

Dogs were loose everywhere and would wander through restaurants without begging or bothering anyone. This pup came in while we were eating during a rain storm.  He politely curled up near our table and took a nap.

It was nothing special to the residents to have giant lizards and monkeys in the trees above.

Bees are tiny dots in the sky.

Our apartment had a collassal nest of millions of tiny bees that had been up there for years.

We enjoyed watching lizards climb up there to catch some snacks.

Butterflies fluttered through the skies between many flowering trees.

Ants marched along carrying flowers.

Ant in a flower parade by the pool.

I spent a lot of time with my eyes wide open in amazement at the many differences in the flora and fauna. It was like visiting another planet in some ways. 

We rented a lens for the trip so we could capture images from a greater distance. It was totally worth it but heavy to carry.

We passed the camera back and forth as we saw wildlife everywhere. I even spotted monkeys from our porch. I heard a crash in the trees and the compound’s dogs went crazy. One of the dogs looked just like one we had years ago.

Destiny reincarnated.
This squirrel and green lizard were in the tree above our table at an outdoor restaurant.

Things were different, but also the same. I LOVED the colorful chaos of Costa Rica.

FLORA

Plants of Costa Rica

| Flower Roberts

I held up the group over and over because of spotting a crazy plant.

Many that I saw were giant, wild versions of our houseplants.


Color was everywhere. I really need to spend more time there studying the wildlife.

The thrill of my life occurred when we toured a private rainforest with two biologists. Mr. Flower arranged this adventure on the third year anniversary of my daddy’s death.


During the tour I spied the famous blue morpho butterfly. It was bluebird blue. I felt like my daddy was sending me a sign. I had to stop and weep.

It was hard to choose what to look at. Everything was different and interesting.

We will return when we are able. In a craxy way, it felt like home.

FLORA

The Food in Costa Rica

| Flower Roberts

We were shameless in our photographing food at restaurants. Part of our motivation was remembering where we liked the food, so we could return there later. We methodically took photos of the restaurant front, the menus and our plates of food. Later we could show pictures of our favorites so our hosts could remind us of the names.

This was the trip of a lifetime for the four of us together. Our host family, the Lankas, guided us as to where was best to eat and tour. They hired our tour guide,  Andre, to drive our rental car for several adventures. I will share all that later.

Every meal was delicious but not inexpensive. It was worth eating well so none of us was ever sick. Everything was fresh. Enjoy the food! ( You may want to grab a snack first.)

We bought breakfast and snacks from the store or the fruit vendors across the street.

I got a kick out of the cut-your-own meat.
Spices
Our absolute favorite restaurant on the beach.
Favorite Lunch spot.
Best Italian
Great but DO NOT eat on the beach here. Street vendors bother you constantly.

Great food many televisions and loud. Eat on the porch.

Use app for money conversion. I will know more Spanish when I go back.

We plan to go back to the Lanktuary. It was perfect for us and we loved our host family.

FLORA

The Art Above You in Italy

| Flower Roberts

We usually ignore the ceilings in America. Maybe we are stiff necked and too busy looking down on each other.
You better look up while in Italy. The Sistine Chapel isn’t the only ceiling worth inspection.
The ceilings were complex and covered with gorgeous art and gilded moulding.
My neck hurt from all the looking up. Many times I had to swerve over to a wall and hold on to get a proper look at a painting on the ceiling.
I am so glad I took so many photos. I can study each and zoom in to see details not visible by glancing up.

Are you dizzy yet? The domes were marvelous.

I am happy to have these photos to study. The details of each of these ceilings is so delightful.

Centuries of artistic talent have been preserved for the future, to inspire the folks that follow. I am grateful to have had this opportunity with my family.

FLOW

The Furniture of Italy

| Flower Roberts

Everything in Italy seemed extraordinary. The furniture was ornate and beautiful.
Here are just a few examples of the furnishings that caught my eye during our travels. Some were just functional.

I loved this tabletop.

This is how we dried laundry in our apartment in Florence. The washer was a very small washer/dryer combo.

The building had an elevator added to the outside. The stairways were ancient wonders.

Our apartment had windows on one side of the hall so it was bright.
Stairs were everywhere. I had just finished up weeks in a boot, so I was thankful that I could walk and climb.
The roof-top garden.

The entrance during renovations. Sorry its blurry.(stairs again)

We could have spent a month in Florence. It was a busy place, but felt friendly and safe.

FLOW

The Stairs and Rooftops of Italy

| Flower Roberts

My bunion and I climbed many stairs on the 2015 trip. I credit my success to Dr. Molan and the heavy boot I wore for weeks beforehand for my strength and endurance.

A distinguished gentleman in a corduroy suit.

It seems a bit strange that stairs and roofs would deserve a post, but you must remember these buildings are older than America itself.  Stairs were everywhere. They varied greatly on both rise and run an rarely had railing on both sides. Elevators were not in every building.

Shallow steps like these allowed for carts to go up and down.
The ends of these bricks were worn off by years of traffic.
To look down one must go up!
I loved studying scerns like this with a zoom lens.
The structure and compositions added interest.
We were very high up in a bell tower for this photo. The clock struck hour while we were inside. Wowza!
Downward view from our apartment.

Upward view. There was a tiny elevator.

We were thankful to ride up and down with our luggage. Most of the time we used the stairs because the lift was small and slow.

Not being able to use stairs would be a game-changer in many old cities. The playing field is not leveled abroad.

Travelers must be mobile and agile.

FLOW

The Stores of Italy

| Flower Roberts

It was hard to choose what stores to take photos of and even harder to choose which to enter.
Buying was not an option for most items because there were four of us traveling and eating, so photos had to suffice.
I will note that one of the women in the group purchased 12 pairs of shoes on the trip. Shoes there are wonderfully made and not that expensive. She showed us photos of her shoes over diner one night. They were all unique and beautiful.

Items made of alabaster.

We have a small cabinet in our library which we call ‘ The Italy Cabinet.’ All our souveniers were small and carefully chosen.

I did get a necklace and scarf for special occasions. These items mean more because we limited our purchases.

Stay tuned for floors, furniture, decor and maybe some fancy ceilings.

FLOW