From time to time, we have a loner grebe who comes to visit. He picks a ponds and sticks to it. He hides under the brush then pops out and paddles quietly among the trout. He hasn't been around for several months, but Kevin noticed him in the chicken pond today. He's back!!! We call him Graham... and it's always nice to see him. It's like welcoming an old friend home.

Speaking of old friends... we Skyped with are good friends, Hanne and Hendrik, from Belgium. We met this lovely young couple at the Essence Boutique Hotel near the Arenal volcano, on our first trip to Costa Rica over five years ago. They became our travel buddies and we spent the whole two weeks together. We had a blast getting to know them. Back then, they were newly married... now, they are new parents of a one year old and they've bought a new house... we so enjoy catching up on each stage of their life. And we're thrilled that we've kept in touch all this time. Maybe someday, we'll visit in person, but for now, we're grateful for free Skype.

More B&B guests arrive on Thursday for a couple of days... then more guests again for a couple of days, and a quick turn-over for yet another couple... so we'll be busy with back-to-back guests for awhile. Nice! We like that.

Oh, and let me just boast a little about the weather: it's been glorious!! Super warm and sunny... just like summer. We like that, too!!

We had a lovely couple from Quebec, Canada stay with us this week. Francine retired from teaching in December and she and her husband, Francois, decided to celebrate by spending four weeks in Costa Rica. They had a fabulous time, snorkeling and swimming in the ocean. They made friends along the way and enjoyed sharing their experiences with us. They exuded the expression "joie de vivre" and speaking French with them was a great bonus (for me). Although their English was excellent and they were able to converse with Kevin without any problems.

While they were here, they saw the Blue Heron tucked up in a tree. Francois took some amazing pictures. And he also saw a male and female Quetzal... together, sitting side by side. What a treat that was for him... poor Francine missed it. They hiked our trails, went on the coffee tour, and just enjoyed relaxing in the guesthouse and strolling on the property. On Thursday, they caught their dinner, too. And before they left, they wrote a lovely note in our guestbook. You can read it here.

We also sold two more bulls this week: Newman and Eastwood. And then there were five. We'll try and get two or three baby bulls in a few months, at the start of the rainy season. Until then, our five boys will have the whole pasture to themselves. What a life!

After our Owen Sound guests left, we welcomed another Canadian family on Tuesday, just for the day. They wanted to experience the property and have some lunch. The woman, Ruthanne, had written to me last fall saying she had read my book and since she and her family were going to be spending their vacation in Costa Rica, she didn't want to miss the opportunity to stop by and meet us. We had a lovely day, and we enjoyed meeting them as well. As soon as they left, I had to get the guesthouse ready for the next day.

Three weeks ago, a former high school friend, Jane, contacted me and said she was booking five nights with us. She's Canadian, but has been living in Vermont for over 17 years. We lose touch then find each other again, then lose touch then find each other again. The last time we'd seen each other was 15 years ago. I was thrilled to hear that she had a flexible schedule and could take some time off work to visit.

I picked Jane up at the airport in San Jose on late Wednesday evening. We've had such a wonderful time catching up. Jane went on the coffee tour on Friday, which she loved. We drove down to the beach yesterday and today I took her to meet our friends, Rafa and Minor, to visit their exquisite Japanese gardens. Then after lunch we went for a hike on our trails. I'm driving Jane back tonight (well technically tomorrow morning... we'll be leaving here at 2:30 am). I hope I can miss the moring traffic on my way back. We shall see.

Kevin will be fishing with Martin tomorrow without me, and again on Tuesday (but I'll be here to help). We have more B&B guests arriving on Wednesday for three nights. We're keeping busy.

We've been so busy the last two weeks, I forgot to write my post last week. Oops.

Our guests from Oregon arrived on Thursday, January 26 and stayed two nights. This time they brought their daughter. It was lovely to meet her. We're getting to know the whole family one visit at a time. Since we've become friends over the last year (their first visit was January 25, 2016) we share more than the usual B&B guest exchange, so this time we invited them to watch Kevin filet the trout they caught for dinner. Krista and Dave wanted to have a try at filleting... this is Krista putting her lesson into practice. She did a great job!

We had a great time seeing them again, only wish it could have been longer. You can read their daughter's comment in our guestbook here.

A day after they left, we welcomed a Canadian couple, Liane and Michael, who stayed for seven days/nights. Their friends had stayed with us during our first season and recommended they stay with us. It was lovely to host them and get to know them over the week. We said our goodbyes this morning as they headed back to the airport to catch their flight back home to the Great White North. You can read their guestbook comments here.

Today, I cleaned and did laundry, getting the guesthouse ready for our next guests. We have people from Canada arriving for just one day on Tuesday, and then a friend of mine will be visiting from Wednesday to Monday. Another busy week ahead.