Thankful for so many things

Although we are Canadian (me) and English (Kevin), we are always happy to partake in our U.S. expat friends' Thanksgiving Day celebration... it means a great time catching up and a lot of good eating! This year, our friends Annika and Roger hosted, cooked a most delicious turkey and stuffing and the rest of us pitched in with side dishes. The table was overflowing with scrumptious food. As our contribution, I made homemade bread and brought some fresh butter. We all had a wonderful time... the weather was perfect, sunny and warm. Summer has definitely arrived in this part of the world! Since Thursday, the skies have been blue all day with no rain whatsoever. It feels good to see the end of the rainy season (until May, anyway).

And this Tuesday, we'll be selecting the trout in the large pond, dividing the biggest fish from the smaller ones, and transferring the biggest ones to the pond across from the guesthouse. They're ready to sell to Roberto!!! Very exciting. We'll be selling approximately 150 trout per week. After removing that huge plant and creating a gate, Kevin, Martin and Jairo (pronounced HI-RO) made the narrow canal much wider, increasing the size of the pond, but also strategically placing rocks to create more splashing surface to help oxygenate the water. The pond looks so much bigger now. And, Kevin soldered each rod to create the grate, of course... because he's clever that way. Check it out!!

This time of year also brings lots of rainbows... we captured this one just a few days ago. It still takes our breath away, and it never gets old.

Oh, and my daughter, Phoenix, and her best friend, Kaila, will be here this time next week. They arrive next Sunday!! I'm SO excited. Can't wait to see my baby girl. They're only here for five days, but we have lots planned. It will be Kaila's first time on a plane and first big trip out of Canada, so we want to make sure she has a nice time.

As the northern countries start to feel the chill in the air, we are enjoying lovely summer temperatures. Yes, I am rubbing it in.