As I sit at my desk ready to plunge into some wedding album designs. My mind has been wandering towards a coffee break. As in the kind I had in Costa Rica after a tour of the Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation and Inn. It was a really fascinating look into the world of organic, shade grown, micro coffee production. Most of the coffee had already been picked but there was a few beans left on the plants as we walked through. Organic farming is really quite an undertaking.
Below is a short clip about the Coffee Plantation that aired on the Live Well HD Network.
A few rainy-ish hours is not nearly enough time to capture an area, but here is my attempt. We had an amazing guide named, Jose, who delivered the entire tour in Spanish and some bird calls thrown in for good measure. He was actually able to call over some birds that he heard off in the distance, who who flew over to check out our little group. The bird below is a Violaceous-Trogon. Yes, I had to look that up when I returned. My Spanish is a bit lacking.
After a bit of a walk up through the forest, we took a aerial tram through the trees to gain a different vantage point. From up above we were able to see a rather small and unassuming looking snake that we were told was an eyelash pit viper. They are typically yellow and very poisonous, but this one was a juvenile, brownish-gray and impossible to get a photo of while we were on a moving tram shooting into the dark under-canopy below. So you will just have to take my word for it that we barely escaped with our lives…
Let me make a bit of a note about traveling with photo gear. Packing for a trip that offeres photo oportunites, but not much time to spend actually setting up shots, is ridiculously hard for me. Sort of like packing for a trip with my real children, starting in the snow and moving to a warm climate. And making sure all of the items I bring with me will fit in a carry-on. Parents of young children out there will understand this dilemma.
So this is the type of trip when having a really fast lens makes all the difference. Also one with a bit of a zoom. I brought 2 with me on our trip. My Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L, and I opted to take my smaller, but longer, Canon EF Zoom lens 70 mm-300 mm, F/4.0-5.6, which I find disappointing because of the flatness of the images it produces and lack of control I have over light with such a slow lens. But it beats carrying around my far nicer, but much heavier Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8. I think in retrospect I should have sucked it up, but, what can you do? My poor friend, T, already had to stand there in the middle of the rain while I switched from my short to long lens so that I could go from capturing an orchid to the sloth that was hanging around up above.
That would be me. It is taking me forever to get through my photos from Costa Rica.
Below is my rather disappointing photo of the 3 toed mama sloth with baby in Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo. Disappointing because of the fact that I was shooting with a rather dark lens. And well, the rain forest is rather dark to begin with so my detail is quite lacking.
3 toed sloth with baby
This was the only shot I managed where one could still make out the baby clinging to her mamas belly. But I kind of like it none the less. And it worked much better in black and white. There are more to come. I swear. If I could only get these 5 fingers working faster and my 2 babies dis-attached from my body. Although cuddly kids are never anything to complain about.
Griffin will find the way. Previous to his above mission to illuminate the livingroom, I found him with his red toy tub upside down on the dining room chair…so as to better be able to reach the lollipop I put up on top of the fridge for later.
For a few weeks I had been cursing the beautiful step stool we had been given by our friends. It managed to give our children access to a world previously 1 inch less unattainable to them. This toy tub adds 6 inches. All previously safe objects on counter tops and dressers are quivering with fear.
At least my children are independent, problem solvers. Sigh.
Below was him last summer figuring out how to get in and out of our neighbors cat door. I would expect NASA to start recruiting soon. If they need someone to build a tower of household items to reach Mars for exploration, they may have their man. Can’t get much worse than many of their previous missions.
Adjusting to the real world again after my trip to Costa Rica is going to be tough. I had the most lovely 4 days away with the best of accommodations, short excursions, food, coffee and most importantly, the company. I had the chance to travel with my old friend (yes, T, I just called you old) and my newest baby, my 7d. It was almost as difficult packing for my camera as it is packing for a trip with my kids. Both our saintly husbands stayed home with our (non-camera) children.
The little bit of the country we managed to see was spectacular. The people were incredibly welcoming and patient with our Spanish. And it was all just so GREEN. I will likely have tons more photos to share later, but I wanted to post a couple before the day creeps away from me.
Already, I can’t wait to go back.
