Cerro Negro Volcano

 

When one is presented with an opportunity to go tobogganing down the side of a volcano there is only one response;   Hell yah!

still fresh, eager, and excited

the climb was gruelling and hot

Half way up and feeling the heat.  It began to feel like a lunar expedition

to the right is the crater that erupted,  and we
 are walking along the outer rim

ready....

go....

set...

Museo Entomológico

Our eldest daughter Averyl is into insects (bugs, beetles, butterflies and others) Likely she will study to be an entomologist. Prior to our trip to Nicaragua, she befriended Jean Michel Maes, the curator of the Museo Entomológico in León, and we made the trip to visit and meet him in person.  
He proved to be a wealth of information and inspiration.  

Averyl is loving the exploration of this country and is finding so many insects.  

We will soon have our own display boards on our walls. 

Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

A baroque/neoclassical cathedral which is now a UNESCO heritage site. 
Built in 1747, the cathedral has maintained the status of being the largest in Central America and one of the best known in the Americas due to its distinct architecture and special cultural importance.

Absolutely beautiful.  We spent more time on the roof than inside.  

Playa Mira Flores...Surf's Up

We have been playing in the beach waves at playa Mira Flores for more than 10 years. The topic of surfing has been discussed multiple times, but actually getting out there with a surf board has not happened, until today.  Stu and Bryce, friends and neighbours in Finca del Mar, came and gave us lessons. 

Queen Fairy Gwendolyn and her Magical Artwork

First off Gwednolyn is not really a queen, nor a fairy.  She took on that status when my kids first met her.  She seemed magical, she seemed regal, and my kids were strong readers in the genre of Fantasy;  a genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world.  To my young and impressionable kids, living in a yellow school bus in Nicaragua was definitively fantasy. (see the related post in January of 2011)

Gwendolyn is an exceptional artist, as well as a mother, a potter, a teacher, and a multitude of other vocations. While she and Santiago were visiting Mira Flores last year Gwendolyn agreed to create a piece of artwork that would fit nicely on our walls. 

Everyone that has seen it could not agree more.

Sunsets, Sunsets, and more Sunsets.

This is a spectacular daily occurrence.  So much beauty it is astounding.  A picture is worth a thousand words....so why not post many. 

Cueva La Gallina

We found some petroglyphs! and so close to our property too.  There is a small cave in the town of La Gallina that has been naturally protected from the elements and illustrates engravings on the ceilings.  

They are zoomorphic motifs.  Zoomorphism is a technique in which animal features are attributed to humans, and other objects.  I honestly could not tell what all the drawings were referring to, but it is wild to know they have been there for many thousands of years.