When Matthew and I got engaged in Jamaica, we had a great time relaxing and lounging around. But after about two days of lounging, we were ready to get out and do things. So when we were choosing a location for our honeymoon, we knew that, yes, we wanted some romantic destination, but romantic only gets you so far - we wanted some adventure!
After lots of browsing of the internets, we decided to go to Costa Rica.
We picked a small bed & breakfast in Manuel Antonio, Mango Moon. It was actually recommended to us by a friend, and the couple who owned it actually moved to Costa Rica from a town about 15 minutes from our house. (I've heard that since then they've sold it to the lead singer of the band Creed. Weird.)
It was set in the mountains, just a short hike to the beach. This was the view from our balcony:
We spent tons of time on the balcony, listening to the rain and even getting couples massages there. Matthew usually hogged the hammock:
We went in October, which just happens to be rainy season. Lots of people choose not to go during that time because it literally rains EVERY DAY for hours on end. But do you know what that means? Naps. Lots of them. Also - great service at restaurants because you are the only one there. It also means hideously curly hair. Try to ignore that.
The service was so good at the restaurants that they did things like make little roses and grasshoppers out of plants:
We opted for an adventure package rather than a honeymoon package, which sent us on a different excursion daily, like ziplining (is that a verb?) through the forest canopy:
Yep, that's me making quite the fashion statement in the red helmet.
There was also horseback riding to some waterfalls:
Side note: riding a horse in the rain while wearing wet pants for three hours can equal major chafing. Just saying.
There was also a kayaking adventure through the mangroves (don't have a picture of that one) and lots of walking around, including a couple of trips down to the beach to check out the black sand and the loads and loads of hermit crabs.
(Please don't think that I would ever wear something like this on a normal occasion. First of all, I don't wear tennis shoes. Second of all, I was cold and wet and we bought this shirt because it was dry. This is what a medium t-shirt looks like on me. So instead, please direct your attention to the black sand.)
We also spent lots of night sipping on rum and talking to the B&B owners and staff. Jeff, one of the owners, was in a band and would make up impromptu (funny) songs. We were the only guests who stayed the whole week, but we met lots of people who stopped for one night and each had fun stories to share.
But our favorite adventures by far were those involving the Costa Rican wildlife. Each morning, we woke up to the sounds of howler monkeys calling one another. Capuchin monkeys (like Marcel on Friends!) passed over the roof of our balcony in the mornings and evenings, peeking over to see what we were having for breakfast (and by the way, the banana pancakes were to. die. for. I ate them every morning. It's no surprise the monkeys were jealous.)
The coolest creatures were in Manual Antonio National Park. We toured with an awesome guide who could spot a bird the size of my fist 200 feet away. No joke. We saw lots of sloths (which pretty much just look like giant moldy fur balls in photos, so I'll spare you), cute little squirrel monkeys and ton of birds.
Disregard this furry bald guy and check out that monkey (wow, that's a sentence I never thought I'd utter):
Considering that we're photographers, we really didn't take that many photos. But rain, humidity and cameras really don't mix. Most shots taken with a Canon point-and-shoot, Canon 10D or Canon 20D (we're Canon people, can you tell?).
I'd definitely suggest taking a trip to Costa Rica (we want to go back one day) if you're looking for a vacation spot. There are lots of places to visit, but Manual Antonio really was awesome. Other areas of Costa Rica are known for great surfing, scuba diving and lots of other fun activities. And if you're not too opposed to rain, I'd suggest going during rainy season to avoid crowds and touristy-tourists. Unless, of course, you're looking to lay poolside all day. That wouldn't work.
I have a thing for vintage beach cruisers. You may remember this post. Particularly, I have a thing for beach cruisers in photos. Which is why I decided to turn my little bike - decals and all - into a beach cruiser.
Disclaimer: Let's just get this straight up front. I'm in no way an expert on bike makeovers. I'm not suggesting that you take on a project like this because a) I didn't do any actual work on this. I had the idea; Matthew executed and b) we don't have any guarantee that the bike isn't going to fall apart or rust anytime soon. But it's an inexpensive bike. With no gears. And foot brakes (that's a requirement for me). So not a huge loss if it doesn't last for years. Plus, as I understand it, taking the bike apart to paint it was no walk in the park. Matthew is VERY handy, so he handled it okay, but what I'm saying is, if you're not particularly handy, don't try this at home.
On that note, here's how we (Matthew) did it:
1. I picked out spray paint color and clear coat. We used Krylon indoor/outdoor spray paint in Celery.
2. Matthew took the bike apart, removed decals and lightly sanded it using an 80-grit paper. Suggestion here: take photos when you take the bike apart so you know how to put it back together.
3. He hung the bike up and painted two coats of color (letting it dry between coats), then sprayed with one coat of clear coat.
4. He put it all back together. Mostly, at least. There may or may not be one part missing now. (See what I mean, take pictures of the process.)
5. I picked out a cute basket at Hobby Lobby (not an actual bike basket, but cheaper) and I used velcro to attach it. Put flowers in the basket for cuter photos!
Total cost for the bike makeover: about $22. I'm contemplating changing out the seat and grips to a dark camel color for more of a vintage look, which could be done for about $25.
So here's the before (disassembled before I had a chance to take a pic):
And the after:
And if you want to see why I love a beach cruiser in photos, check out this post on my photography blog.
Last year, for our first anniversary, we decided that, rather than spend money on gifts, we'd try to go on a trip every year instead - Charleston was our destination last year:
Our second anniversary is just over a month away, and we had pretty much decided that Chicago was where it's at. Seriously, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything negative about Chicago, and we've never been.
Then we had to take Sawyer to the vet. And back again to have x-rays taken, fur removed and samples taken to tell us that he has some sort of allergies, an infection, a small ACL tear and the beginnings of arthritis.
The dog's only three but the fact that he runs nonstop back and forth ALL DAY LONG EVERY DAY from one end of the fence to the other doesn't help. All this translates to prescriptions, lab fees, diet changes and a total bill that would easily equal the cost of the trip.
So we could still go to Chicago. But since I haven't booked anything yet, we decided to do the sensible, responsible thing and do something a little closer to home. Don't you hate being sensible and responsible sometimes?
So, I'm looking for suggestions on where we should go.
We want to be able to drive there, so preferably under six hours from Athens, Georgia and maybe spend a couple of nights. We've done the Charleston thing (loved it) and recently the Savannah thing (would have loved it under better circumstances). We go to the beach pretty often. And we're really not the sit around type. When we go somewhere, we go - lots of seeing the sights and taking photos. And there has to be good food.
The other option would be to explore Atlanta a little because, even though we only live an hour away, we typically steer clear. But Erin at Elements of Style wrote a post about her trip to Atlanta that really made me want to explore the city that I've been to hundreds of times but have never given much thought to.
So, suggestions? Tips?
A few weeks ago we took a little weekend {work-related} trip to Savannah. Where I got food poisoning. Have you ever been sick in a hotel room? NOT FUN.
While the whole food poisoning thing kind of overshadowed the rest of the trip, looking back at the photos, we did have fun. We got lots of super recommendations for things to do from Nicole. (Great recommendations which did not include the restaurant where I got food poisoning...should've stuck to the list, I guess.) We did follow her recommendations for most of the trip, including going to Leopold's for ice cream (so, so good).
I can't tell you much about what we did, as the details are a little blurred, but here's our trip in photos:
We did spend several hours (yes, HOURS) on River Street watching this guy play:
He was amazingly talented and endlessly funny. The little tippy-toed boy in the photo above especially thought so - he wouldn't leave!
He had a crowd around him for hours as he played witty tunes tailored to passersby. If someone walked by wearing pink, he'd play the Pink Panther theme song. A bald guy - the Addams Family theme. A young couple - Going to the Chapel...and then the Death March. He even had a bit of a rainbow over his head:
For any photogs - the next photo was taken with no flash and no tripod. I bumped the ISO WAY up, shot wide open and stayed as still as possible.
I love the backlighting in this pic of Matthew:
And the beautiful evening light in this one Matthew took of me:
And Matthew snapped this one as we drove back to Savannah from Tybee Island:
If only I had known that in less than eight hours I'd be laying on a hotel bathroom floor, I probably wouldn't have had that smirk on my face. I'm hoping my next trip to Savannah will involve fewer oysters, fewer bathroom floors and more {positive} memories.
Eleven days, 21 hours and 14 minutes later, I can finally view and edit the photos from my new camera.
Okay, so I made that number up, but I was seriously starting to wonder if I'd ever be able to see them. The whole problem viewing them with Photoshop CS3? Turns out, not so simple to solve unless you talk to the right person.
I hit a major road block in the upgrade install that required a call to Adobe (as in it wouldn't recognize that I had CS3 installed because it was Extended). First call = no help at all, then had to wait until the next day (today) to call back, as it was by that point after hours.
Second call = much more competent and super nice person on the other end of the line who knew exactly what to do. BUT that meant I had to install the trial version and call back (after a 15-minute wait time to talk to someone that time).
Installed the trial version and third call = another 15 minutes of waiting and then SUCCESS! FINALLY!
So, all that to say, here are some of my first photos from my new camera. I'm in love!
Our friends' little one, Isobel:
And their pup, Zoe:
Our pups:
My mom (The first day I had the camera I had food poisoning, so lots of shots were taken from the couch - thank goodness my mom was in town then because Matthew was not at all sympathetic):
And this coneflower, taken by Matthew:
For anyone in the Athens, Georgia area (or willing to travel here) I'm hosting a giveaway over on my photography blog.
Oh, and I got a new love/camera:
Will definitely be sharing some new photos soon (taken with and without the new camera) as well as details on a little trip we just returned from. As of right now, I'm recovering from a delightful bout with food poisoning that has prevented me from even enjoying my new toy.
Now, go enter my giveaway.
Summer sunsets as seen from my house:
