My (Steve’s) dad lives in Florida in the winter.  I remember various times talking with him and asking about the weather.  He’d tell me that it was really cold – it had gotten into the 50′s!  I remember sitting there in Maine in the 10 degree weather and thinking, that’s not even close to being cold.

Now, we are in Costa Rica.  And the wind is blowing and it got into the 50′s here last night.  With no heat in the houses here, that means low 60′s inside.  And you guessed it, we’re feeling a bit cold.  I know, no sympathy from the northern folks.  That’s ok.  Even though there is no heat and you can’t close the windows completely, we have sweaters and blankets so we’re surviving just fine.  And in a couple of days it will be back in the 70′s and 80′s.  But I have a new understanding of my Dad’s point of view.  Yes, “cold” is a relative term.

Christmas decorating seems to be really big here.  Early too.  We added a photo album with some pics from downtown San José, and from our house.  Click on “Photo Album” and check out the colors.

We had one of the best days we’ve had since arriving in Costa Rica. We went with our local church to a baptism at Camp Brittney in the town of Atenas, a little over an hour from here. The area reminded us of home, with a river, some cows, and even some dead leaves on the ground.

.

.

.

There was a bridge over the river to where the cows were. Diane got stuck , and I had to go rescue her. We figured out a little later that the reason it was so narrow was to prevent the cows from crossing the river.

.

.

.

Several people were baptized. One of them was named Jesus, a common name in Latin America. The Pastor said it made him think of John the Baptist, baptizing Jesus.

.

.

.

After the baptism, we spent some time in the pool with new friends.

.

.

.

On the way back, we went the long way, on several windy curvy roads, and were able to see some of the beautiful scenery here.

It’s been three weeks today since my appendectomy.  Laparoscopic surgery is wonderful, and I was able to go back to school only one week after the surgery, with three little scars in my abdomen.  The doctor told me not to lift more than ten pounds for four weeks.  So I have one week to go.  I’ve just been telling myself that my backpack only weighs ten pounds… 

I mentioned before that I had a cough when I went in the hospital.  Well, after I got out, it turned into bronchitis.  So I’ve been on antibiotics for a while.  I hadn’t remembered how draining antibiotics can be on your energy.  But now, the cough and congestion appear to be gone, so I’m looking forward to getting the energy back.