Friday Morning Shootout -- Breaking the rules, as usual

I know the theme is about celebrating the holidays but I've been busy enough preparing for the holidays -- made difficult since the grandchildren are around and trying to get their presents hidden and then revealed and then wrapped and then hidden again leaves little time for shooting the celebration.

Of course, I will shoot lots of snapshots of family over the next couple of weeks but while they will certainly be cute, I sometimes wonder how many pictures do I really need of children opening presents and adults eating. 

So...while Butler will be irritated with me...I'm going to completely ignore the theme this week.  Apologies to all. 

Photographically, I've been devoting almost all my free time to processing (and deleting) 528 raw shots that I took last month when Karen and I excaped the daily grind and give ourselves a well-needed vacation in Costa Rica.  Mostly in the Southwest around San Isidro del General. 

I'll probably miss next weeks shoot entirely but with any luck I'll get back to the correct theme in 2014.  

I'm so glad to be back in touch with you all again...old friends and making some new ones.  Have a wonderful holiday season.  I love you all. 

Mark's FHTSO "Wrong Theme": Costa Rica

I was going to try and re-arrange these in some kind of order that made sense but, as usual, time is running away from me...so random is the order.

 

 

 

Great two hour horseback ride to reach these falls

 

No...I didn't climb the falls, nor jump from them...

just cheered those that did.

 

From the tops of mountains, you look down on clouds...

Of course, driving up, the clouds become great foggy challenges on twisty roads.

Mother and baby sloth -- in the wild

but visible from the balcony of a restaurant.

These white capuchins come down to the beaches from the surrounding trees

and steal potato chips from sunbathing tourists.

 

Throughout the Southern part of Costa Rica there are handcarved Baruca Indian masks for sale.  But if you want to destroy your rental car on a 7 kilometer rutted dirt road straight up a mountain you can reach the town of Baruca, itself.  In a bit of pure luck there was a Baruca woman at the bottom of the road looking for a ride.  On the way up, I asked her who the best mask-carver in the village was.  She took us deep into the village and introduced us to Ishmael Gomez and his family -- at 95, he is the village carving teacher.  He and his family were the nicest people, just opened up their home to us for a wonderful two or three hours.

 

Ishamel at work

 

Incredible clouds everywhere

 

View from Baruca

Town of San Isidro del General

Thanks, in advance for letting me sneak into the Friday Shoot with the wrong theme.