Every two years, we get an onslaught of beetles that arrive just as the rainy season begins. They're not harmful, just a bit of a nuisance... they hang out for about a week. They are attracted to light, so at night, they come out and fly into the window panes. It sounds like bullets pelting the house on all sides. Two years ago, Kevin devised a plan to get them away from the house. He installed a light on the carport and buckets to catch the beetles as the hit the ground. It worked beautifully, except it left a big mess to clean up in the mornings. So, today, Kevin decided to install a pulley across the river to hold two battery-operated lanterns. The light will shine at night and attract the beetles. The idea is they will bang into the lanterns and fall into the river. And voila! I will report back once those little beetles arrive to let you know how it works!

And this morning, I was looking out the window and saw this little fella... a gorgeous flamed-colored tanager.

 Kevin spent all last week transferring trout from pond to another, then cleaning each pond before filling it up. On Monday, our neighbour Brian came by to let us know that our bulls were spotted on our other neighbours property, across the river. Kevin and Brian crossed over and retrieved our wondering boys. The next morning, Kevin had Martin and Jonathan go up and fix the fence to prevent our bulls from escaping. While they were doing that, Kevin was cleaning the big pond on his own. His new rake came in handy and he got everything done in just a few hours. I remember in the early days when it took three men a whole week to clean that pond. I think Kevin's system of monitoring the water coming in through the aquaduct and having grates collecting all the leaves. What a difference it all makes. Yay Kevin!!

We also welcomed guests from San Jose on Saturday. They only stayed for one night... some time in nature to decompress from their hectic city lives. They were great people and we hope to see them again soon. Esteban caught a trout for their dinner, which they enjoyed. Read their comment in our guestbook here.

Such a busy week! We welcomed a young couple from Colorado last Sunday. They were super. And so interested in the farm... they wanted to learn more about medicinal plants so we hooked them up with our friends, Seidy and Danilo, where they operate a sustainable, organic farm, including a medicinal herb garden. They were thrilled. When they came back from their tour at Seidy and Danilo, there was a beautiful rainbow welcoming them back to the guesthouse. They decided to take a walk down to the river. Nick, who apparently had been planning on finding the right place and time to propose to his lovely girlfriend, decided under a rainbow by the river was just the place. How awesome is that!! It's so rewarding to know that Hush Valley Lodge will be forever part of their journey, and hopefully will always provide fond memories. We send our most sincere congratulations to both of them! We don't have a picture of the two of them, but here is a picture of Nick having caught his dinner.

Go read their comments in our guestbook here.

Then the day Karissa and Nick left, I did a quick turnover as we were hosting more guests the same day, Carissa and Bill (I know, what a coincidence to have two back-to-back guests with the same name - except for the spelling). Carissa and Bill are from Arizona. Bill is the teacher who brought his students to the Copey last May, and came up to our place for a tour. He's also the nephew of  a couple who stayed with us two years ago. He liked the area so much, he wanted to share it with his wife. More great people (how lucky are we?). You can read their guestbook comment here.

We said goodbye to Carissa and Bill on Thursday morning. It was great to see Bill again and meet his lovely wife.

A few more tidbits and updates:

The road improvements were completed over a month ago, but I keep forgetting to share a picture of the cement road, all finished. It starts a few yards from the community centre down about 100 metres/110 yards down the winding hill. The road is smooth and easy. Yay!

 PhewAnd last week, Clara (Martin's wife) picked some blackberries from our pasture and brought us a bucketful. I decided to make a pie and custard, since my hubby loves pie and custard as much as he does. It had been several months since I'd made pie crust, so I had my fingers crossed that it would turn out and be tasty. When it comes to cooking and baking, truth be known, I'm always crossing my fingers!!! It turned out well an Kevin gave it the thumbs up! Phew.

Kevin and the boys have a busy couple of days ahead, cleaning ponds and transferring fish. One of the tools that is most useful to clean the ponds is a de-thatching rake. We've never used it for it's intended purpose, but it's brilliant to scrape the gunk from the bottom of the ponds. Unfortunately, we only have one of those rakes. So, my resourceful husband decided to make another one. He made it out of strong sheet metal (the same that was used to build the trailer) and he cut out teeth and bent it to curve it just so. What's that saying "a picture is worth a thousand words"... so here are some pictures of his handiwork... the one on the right is the original rake an the left is the brand spanking new one!

We welcomed a very nice couple from Iowa on Thursday. Their plane was delayed and landed in San Jose at 3 pm, so by the time they picked up their rental vehicle, they hit rush hour traffic. And rush hour traffic in any big city is no fun, but in San Jose, it's just brutal. There's no ring road to by-pass the city... you have to drive through it to get to the other side. They arrived after dark, exhausted and hungry. Even though it was 10:45 pm, I offered to make them some dinner (everything was ready to go since I prepped it all beforehand, so it wasn't a problem). They were very appreciative and I'm glad I was able to end their very long day with a good meal.

This is what they wrote in our guestbook:

Anne and Kevin,
We have enjoyed your home -- so beautiful and relaxing for the first parto fyour trip to Costa Rica. Thank you for sharing your time, giving us a great tour and the wonderful food. Memories of a lifetime -- Thank you both
Pattie and Bobby

Our dog Bobbie McGee spends all her time with our guests! She just loves spending all her time down by the guesthouse. She lounges by the door, waiting for them to give her some attention. Most of our guests fall in love with her, and we have to hold her in our arms when they leave or she would most certainly run after their car and follow them all the way to the highway. Poor Bobbie. Today, we welcomed new guests, and the cycle repeats itself. These guests are from Colorado and are equally nice. They went on a hike this afternoon and saw a danta (a tapir) so that's pretty exciting.

These guests leaving Tuesday... and more guests arrive Tuesday. And so it goes. It is the high season after all.