When it rains, it. . .

Yep, you all get the picture. . . We are now back in the teeth of the full season here at the hotel. This means, that the next probable opening will be in late August or early September of 2014, if the pattern of the past five years holds true.

This year has been interesting, to say the least. When all was said and done (and we counted the vacant nights) the hotel was at 95 percent occupancy. That is six tree houses, multiplied by 365, and the smart followers can figure that out. That includes 42 nights empty when we closed down each tree house for seven nights to strip, sand and re-varnish them.

Our next opening isn't until the middle of January, and we actually have reservation through January, 2015, though we aren't completely full for most of those months.

We have had folks from Australia, Denmark, Abu Dabi (sp?), India, U.S., Canada, England, Italy, China, France, Belgium, Sweden, etc., and there are more.

Fortunately, we have had the good luck to have great folks for the most part, with very few grumps.

Lest you think we're whining. . .

We really aren't. This is a great place to live and we really do love it. There is just always something going on.

For example, the other day, the art department needed to drive up to Ciudad Quesada to go to the bank, get the medical forms for the folks that work here, go to the open farmer's market for the fresh produce for upcoming breakfasts and as a bonus, a part for the chainsaw was finally ready.

During that time, the editorial department was hanging loose at the hotel. Of course, that meant that the tour company that was supposed to pick up guests at 7:30 a.m. called at 7:15 and said the van was broken down and they were delayed by 2 hours.

Then, some guests that had come in on a red-eye showed up at 10 a.m., (the same time as the late tour) while the current guests in their tree house were still in there (check out is at 11 a.m.). While the new folks were being checked in by the editorial department, another tour company came to pick up the aforementioned guests as did the drink company that brings us our soft drinks every two weeks. Then two tree houses came down to ask directions for other locations at the same time, and that meant eight folks hanging around, while the editorial department flailed valiantly to take care of everything.

Oh yeah, there was a stopped drain and leaky faucet that came to light at the same time in two different tree houses.

Still, it is a great place to be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope that all of you are spending this great day with friends and family. We were fortunate enough to find a turkey for less than $50.00 (everything imported here is hit with a big tariff) and plan on a quiet dinner with friends from the area.

Back after the extended holiday, even though it's not celebrated down here.

I'd love to live here. . .

Is a common refrain from a lot of guests. It is a great place to live and we wouldn't trade it for anything.

It is a bit more work than what the guests see, though, not that we are whining (not too terribly much, at least).

This is a typical day, and it always changes, so it keeps us on our toes.

5 a.m.: Patricia, Seidy and Llanya show up for work, get the coffee up to the tree houses and start working on breakfast;

5:30 a.m.: Lucy is up and baking either cookies, zucchini bread or another treat for the guests;

5:45 a.m.: Dogs need to go out;

6 a.m.: Miguel and Keneth show up for their work on the grounds;

6:20 a.m.: Guests who have early-morning tours come to the rancho for breakfast;

6:20 to 9 a.m.: Regular breakfast then happens at the rancho, and there are directions to be given, conversation to be made and seeing what people need for their tree house;

9 a.m. to 10 p.m.: This always varies the most, as some folks are checking out to drive to the beach and need directions, others are heading to rafting, ziplining, waterfall rappelling, etc., and need directions also. While all of that is going on, folks are checking in and deliveries are being made and something almost certainly needs attention in one of the tree houses. Then there are pizza deliveries to the tree houses, night hikes with Rolando; the dogs need walking throughout the day and we're directing guests where to see a sloth or a monkey, etc.

Akila update

The newest pooch to the menagerie at the hotel is acclimating nicely.

Since Lucy scooped her out of the road about 6 weeks ago, and she weighed just a burp over 2 pounds, Akila has now filled out (OK, she has just chunked out) to nearly 12 pounds.

Gone are the ribs that poked through her skin and her hip bones, and she is now healthy and full of energy. A lot of energy, and some nice, sharp, puppy teeth. The editorial department has some small scars up and down his arms from Akila and her chompers.

We're still not sure what kind of pooch that she is (her paws are huge) and she will likely get a bit bigger. Now, she has energy to burn and keeps us hopping, playing fetch and tearing around the grounds.

She is very healthy (the vets say she's not too chunky) and is settling in nicely here.

Best Christmas Present Ever

Yep, it came weeks early, but to be fair to the art department, there was no place to hide the gift.

The editorial department is now fully floating in a pillowy softness of a leather recliner.

This bad boy has slots for the TV remotes, drink slots and can sleep a (small) family of five.

The editorial department had been wanting something like this for a long time and the art department came across the recliner on a recent trip to San Jose. (As an aside, there are no soft recliners made anywhere near Costa Rica--so this is a major score).

Now that the editorial department has a place to lay its weary buttcocks do not be alarmed if the posts lag any further!

R.O.U.S.

For those who don't have an affinity for movies and pop culture from the 1980s, an R.O.U.S. is a Rodent Of Unusual Size.

It's from the movie, "The Princess Bride". A great movie on all fronts.

Recently, we had some guests staying with us, and one of them was obsessed with finding an R.O.U.S. It took a while, but the editorial department finally caught on.

Fortunately, there is an R.O.U.S. that visits the rancho a couple of times a week during breakfast to grab some fruit that the birds have knocked off of the feeders, and they were lucky enough to spot it a couple of times.

The Agouti is nowhere near as fierce as the R.O.U.S. in the movie. It's very skittish and shy and can bolt through the jungle at an amazing clip.

For comparison sake, the average Agouti that we see around the grounds is about the same size as Mini-B, our Min-Pin/Chihuahua mix.

Birding time!

Right around Thanksgiving in the U.S. is when the birds really start to show up around here, though they have been arriving more each day.

It's a great thing to see, especially at breakfast in the rancho, when there are all kinds of them fluttering around and trying to dart in and out to get some fruit before someone bigger comes along.

There are robins, sparrows, orioles, tanagers, creepers, woodpeckers, etc., all vying for some chow.

There are also feeding stations at each tree house, so the guests can enjoy the birds before they head down for breakfast.

We were never much into birds until we moved down here and the enthusiasm of so many guests sparked our collective interest as well. We have had a lot of amateur birders that could identify each species that came down, and even a professor of ornithology at Harvard that was bowled over at how many birds he was seeing on the grounds.

There has been a movie looping on one of the movie channels down here, called "The Big Year." It has Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson in it, and it is based on the chase to see who can spot or hear the most birds in North America, annually. Great cast, great movie, though it wasn't a big box-office hit. Check it out sometime and catch the bird fever (not the flu).

Feliz cumpleanos!

As the three faithful readers of the blog know, it's tradition to break an egg or douse someone with water on their birthday.

Last week, it was Seidy's birthday and she was prepared, bringing a change of clothes to work that day.

Everyone was waiting to bust an egg on her head and she knew it was coming. However, this batch of eggs was pretty solid. It took several bounces on her noggin for anyone to break an egg over her, and the egging went on throughout the day. These were definitely not fragile eggs, and luckily, Seidy's head is just as hard.

Canine circus. . .

Since Akila has joined the brood of pooches here, she has shaken things up a bit. As she's only around 4 months old, it's natural for her to rattle the cages of Bejuca and Mini-B (both coming up on 9 years).

The other day, Bejuca decided she would join in Akila's frenetic playtime and took up the chase.

Bejuca is around 60 pounds, while Akila has bulked up to close to 6 pounds. Akila did something and Bejuca took off after her, chasing her around the outside of the house. Bejuca caught her a couple of times and pinned her down, then let Akila up to sprint off again. This went on for 5 minutes, with the two of them sprinting inside and outside the house.

Akila would take refuge under our bed, then bolt out when Bejuca was on the other side. Bejuca would let her get a bit of a start, and then lope off and catch her with a big paw.

Afterward, they both bellied up to their respective water dishes and nearly drained them both.

Would you like some ice?

The other night, around 9 p.m., some guests came down to the house/office and rang the bell. They were definitely enjoying their time in Costa Rica.

When the editorial department went outside to see what the ruckus was. A young lady was outside with her friend, teetering every so slightly.

Editorial: Good evening, what can I do for you?

Teeterer: Can we have some more ice?

Ed: Not a problem!

T: Can we order pizza?

Ed: I'm sorry, but they're closed for the night.

T: Oh. . . Can we get some more ice?

Ed: Here you go.

T: Can we get a pizza?

So close. . .

Have you ever been waiting for a flight and then hear the folks at the gate calling for volunteers to give up their seats for travel credit, etc.?

That was the case for the editorial department when I was headed up to the States. The art department had left a few days earlier to get some time in California, and I was traveling solo.

I heard the call and bolted up to the desk and was first in line. The offer was a $500.00 credit, plus hotel and shuttle for the night. The flight would have gotten me to my final destination just 12 hours later, so it was perfect.

Traveling alone, it was a great opportunity to pick up some credit for future travel. After 20 minutes waiting at the desk, the fellow told me that someone skipped out, and I could get on the plane.

However, by that time, my seat was given away and rather than being on the aisle in the front, I was stuck in the rear of the plane by the window.

A bummer all the way around.

Anteater sighting!

Anteater cool sighting! Rolando and a couple of guests saw a young anteater just at the start of the trail down to the waterfall and river the other night.

The guests were walking with Rolando (who is here six nights a week) and got some pictures, which were really cool and hopefully they will put on the hotel's facebook page.

It was a rare sighting, they're usually further back in the jungle.

If you go to our facebook page, you can scroll around for the great video some guests took some months back of an adult anteater crossing a log on the river at the end of the trail.

Shudder. . . (snake). . .

While I was walking around and showing the owners some of the changes here at the hotel, I noticed a dark frog that was sprinting along, and went up onto the porch. I turned and watched the critter, pointing it out to the owner, who shrieked. I didn't realize she had an aversion to frogs. Turns out she didn't. There was a snake, about 2.5 feet long, that was less than 6 inches from my leg.

The snake had reared up and was eyeballing my calf like it was a turkey dinner. I scooted out of the way and the snake went into the brush. Just had a quick look at the critter and afterward, researching it with Rolando in the guidebooks, came to the conclusion that it was non-venomous. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, or else I'll wet myself everytime I think about it.

Good grief. . .

You just never know. The other day, some guests from Chicago checked in, and they thanked us for opening up the gate. Not a problem, we do that for all of the guests here at Tree Houses.

Then, they thanked us for having a sloth on the gate. Huh? Sure enough, there was a sloth hanging on the side of the gate. Miguel went up and got the critter off of the gate and put her up into a tree, where she was much safer (and happier).

You just never know when (or where) you're going to spot some of the wildlife.

First try at video. . .

Apologies if it doesn't come out. With being basically on dial-up down here, it can take forever to get a picture up and loaded, let alone a video. Hence, you may see several videos, one or none.

This is Akila, which our vet near here sent to us while we were lollygagging in the States.

Akila is the one with the bandana on the collar (art department's choice), and she is having a blast with the other pups.

Back in the saddle. . .

We returned from a great time in the States, where we were able to visit family and friends. Most of the time was spent in Wisconsin, where, truth be told, it was a wee bit on the chilly side. There was even some brief snow flurries one evening that had all of the TV meteorologists a-twitter.

It was a great and relaxing time and much food was consumed (much to the chagrin of the folks sitting next to the editorial department on the plane ride back) and was really great to catch up with everyone.

We returned to a full house (somewhat unusual for late October) and it appears that we'll now be pretty much fully booked until the end of August or early September of 2014.