Still Kickin'

Hi Everybody,
The last couple of days have been just as full as the first couple. We have walked several more trails and the boys (especially Bobby) have developed their own favorites. Yesterday we put on our fluorescent orange rain ponchos and went walking through the swamp area. Most other species had the sense to hunker down and get out of the rain but we were rewarded by seeing a small caiman trying to look like submerged log. When we got back to the house we found a giant grasshopper thingy clinging to one of our chairs and a pretty little toad (a litter toad) cowering in the doorway. The poor little thing promptly peed all over my hand when I picked it up but suffered the indignity of being handled and turned upside-down (identification purposes) with good grace. We released it into a puddle off the back porch but it sat there for a long time trying to overcome the trauma. The same scenario was replayed this morning over breakfast when a similar giant grasshopper thingy came to dine with us. It was required to show us its under-wing color and be photographed before it was allowed to go about its business. A highlight of the day for the boys was seeing a robin-sized bird beating a lizard to death on a tree branch. Macabre I know, but you had to be there, it was pretty funny.
Last night we had a music get-together with some researchers and students. One of the students brought her fiddle and the rest contributed guitar music. It was great fun. B-dog convinced some of the (very) attentive male students to get up and do a jig. Everybody had fun. Liam fell asleep so Dad, Liam and I walked back to the cabin, over the suspension bridge, in the dark. The boys will have some pretty great memories of this experience, although at this point they’re still quite jumpy about insects/spiders. Interestingly enough they have been watching with fascination a big Golden Orb-Weaver in her web not far from the cabin. They were very upset when somebody destroyed her nest and she died the next day. Currently, a little wasp is eating her up (ewwwww, I know). There is a bug screen setup on one of the walkways that has a black-light turned on at night. Last night we saw a huge Harlequin beetle and several big moths. Very pretty.
Today I’m doing laundry (no, I could not escape it, even down here) and will take Bobby back out on the trails once I’ve recharged the camera battery. Guaranteed you will see something fantastic when the camera is not with you or is dead. Murphy’s law. After the walk I’ll get to some homework and some GIS stuff (I hope).
Check back soon.
PS. B-dog has a blog as well (very funny, big surprise) http://www.brendacampbell-costarica.blogspot.com/