Birthday Bashes and Flying Fish

        Don't Worry, Folks- we will keep this one brief on words and rich on pictures. On January 22nd, Natasha passed the 30 year mark since her first breath was taken into her lungs in a hospital in the Bay Area of California. She has had a rich three decades full of adventure, a loving family, travel, athletics, an accomplished academic record, and plenty of time with friends and family in the woods and wilderness- from building forts with her sister to building character with troubled teens to building trails in the tropics. We were lucky enough to celebrate with her on the pacific coast of Nicaragua as the sun set over the ocean and the fish tacos came out of the fryer.

The bell tower at the club house as the sun sets on Rancho Santana.

A wedding party gathers on the courtyard where Tasha and her friends started their walk down the beach to the party spot.

Sunset colors fading fast over the water.

The birthday girl herself!

Tasha was kind enough to share her party with Isa (cutting cake) whose birthday was only a week before hers.

Let's just say there was some dancing... and it was AWESOME.

Little Billy sure knows how to cut a rug!

Happy Birthday!!!

Hod did that fish get all the way up there?

The pair received an underwater camera before their trip, and had the chance to try it out in some tide pools north of Rancho, near the community of Popoyo

Sunning near a tide pool with cacti in the background...

Check THIS fish out!!!

Back at work the following week, Kevin and Tasha are finding some BIG trees as they survey their trail.

Howler monkeys visiting a tree below Tasha's sister's property.

A monkey stretches out, hanging by its tail, to cling to the next limb as it moves through the dry canopy.

Tasha, Flagging the route along a steep hillside as the pair draws near to completing another loop of trail.

That's all we have to report on for now, but there will surely be more to come. Stay tuned and check back next week, when we hope to have pictures of intestinal parasites taking shelter inside Kevin's colon...

Psyche!!!

Why Nicaragua?

We are back again, live from the depths of the rapidly dessicating jungle as Nicaragua enters its annual dry season. Our duo has completed their first full week of work surveying trail and directing the work of three locals in making the first cut through the forest. Let's see what they have been up to, and maybe get a glimpse of why They would choose Nicaragua, of all places, to build trails.

 

A photo of the Topo Map of Rancho Santana that our pair is working off to survey their trail lines and determine their positions. 

At first light, the pair leaves the compound, venturing out into the early morning, greeted by the growls and hoots of the howler monkeys surrounding them in the trees. 

Every morning, Kevin insists on assessing the lay of the land with an elevated perspective.

Tasha is just fine to stay on the ground.

The pair has their work cut out for them, hacking through the woods and leaving behind a trail of ribbons for their crew to follow.

The ribbons rapidly turn into the beginnings of a trail, with only a few passes back and forth as they make sure they are on the right track.

Sometimes, faint black lines are visible on the forest floor.

But what ARE those lines?

Are those ANTS?!?!?

They ARE!!!

A tiny superhighway of Ants trekking through the woods!!!

Sometimes you find amazing examples of the nature- Like this HUGE termite nest 10 feet off the ground!!!

Sometimes you encounter Cacti that must be eliminated execution-style.

Sometimes you pop out onto a road in an effort to figure out where you are and you find a motorcycle with a SHARK tied to the back end!!!

But really, folks, the two best reasons to do trail work in Nicaragua is that 1) they sell beer by the liter, and...

2) Nicaragua has sisters!!!!!

It looks like that is all we have for an update at the moment, but surely the following weeks will bring more stories and photos of sharks on motorbikes from our pair of intrepid travelers!

The view from above Playa Duna.

Vamos a Nicarauga!

Well it looks like Kevin and Tasha are at it again...

After a brief stint in the rainy northwest winter, Tasha managed to wrangle her and her partner temporary positions in paradise. The two of them have been contracted by Rancho Santana to Design and direct the construction of a trail system in the green spaces of a resort development on the pacific coast of Nicaragua. Tasha's sister lives in the development full time, and when Tasha was visiting last winter, the Idea was born.

After a long travel day (and night) from their Bellingham base, Tasha and Kevin finally made it to the Rancho, and have been poring over maps and bumping around the dirt roads in their loaner land cruiser, getting a lay of the land and brainstorming what they could do with what they have. So far, excitement is high and the outlook is promising.

 The '89 diesel Land Cruiser on loan to the pair for cruising the strip like jungle pimps.

 Tasha enjoys some fresh coconut water from a roadside stand on the drive from Managua. 

 Tasha and her sister, Tanya, enjoy the clubhouse upon arrival. 

 The view of Playa Santana from the clubhouse. 

The Casita where Tanya and her partner, Nick live full time.

The view from the porch.

Surely there will be more to come as the adventure continues, but this is all we have time for today, friends. Tasha and Kevin will keep taking photos and keep us posted as they delve deeper into the heart of darkness.....