Balance

How Charlie stays occupied on a snowy Sunday --

Blooper Reel -- (note that dad got a bit preoccupied when his phone rang and his throws got sloppy)

Guess Who...

Meanwhile...Snow on the Home Front

When we got back from our warm-weather vacation, Paul and I had a major shock to our system...SNOW!  We went from white sand on the beaches to white snow on the sidewalks.  At least we have helpers for the sidewalks now!

Santa Cruz Island Overview

We had the best time in the Galapagos.  Thanks for letting me re-live the experience as I stare out my window of a snow covered landscape. 

Here are a few more favorites from our island adventure:

Sunset view from our hotel.

Boats in from their early morning fish run.

The daily catch at the fish market.

Sting ray seen from the dock.

This street is full of small restaurants who all pull their tables to the street for dining - there were so many options!  Many offered local fish dishes and then also more touristy options from a menu.  Interesting enough, we learned that the people trying to get people to visit their restaurant over the next one were called "hookers."  We explained to our guide what that word meant in the states and he blushed.  

The daily catch available to be cooked for your dinner.

Our amazing chef who cooked for us a few nights.  We were in the Galapagos with several other group members from Paul's leadership program and one of the days they went on a fishing trip.  They caught a tuna and a wahoo and we asked this chef if he would cook it for us for dinner.  He agreed and he cooked so many wonderful dishes for us.  Another favorite experience of the trip!

Galapagos - Day 5

We ventured away from the shoreline to the Highlands where most of the agriculture and forests exists. 

We viewed the twin craters (los Gemelos) which are not actually craters.  They were formed by magma domes that hardened on the outside but continued to flow on the inside, which left huge empty chambers that eventually collapsed over time.

  We then visited a Tortoise reservation where giant tortoises are living in a natural environment.  They do have the right of way on the access road, and we did have to wait for one as we left.

We also got to walk through an underground Lava Cave during our walk around the reservation.

 It was so neat to see the tortoises in their own environment.  They were HUGE!

I even got to channel my own inner tortoise!  

Galapagos - Day 4

We visited another gorgeous beach - Tortuga Bay.  Tortuga Bay has a gigantic, beautiful beach that was spectacular.  It's popular for surfing and also has a lot of wildlife.  It is surrounded by cactus and the natural landscape seen on most of Galapagos.

I couldn't get enough of the iguanas!

More iguanas than people on the beach.

 There is a separate cove where you can swim, and there were quite a few people here.  People either hiked the trail to arrive (like we did) or caught the water taxi.  We got there early enough that there wasn't many people when we first arrived. 

The water was cool and refreshing.

Galapagos - Day 3

We went sea kayaking at a gorgeous remote beach - Garrapatero Beach.  It's a bit far out of town, so it was mostly locals that frequent it.

The path to the beach was a long walk, luckily mostly shady.

Beautiful sandy beach - practically to ourselves!

The water was the most beautiful color.

We stopped at some of the nearby inlets to explore.  The landscape was interesting, with beach touching the natural land with lava rocks and numerous cactus trees. 

The iguanas blended nicely with the rocks, so you have to watch where you step!

So many iguanas swimming too!!  

Looking back towards Garrapatero Beach.

Galapagos - Day 2

Day 2 of our island adventure took us snorkeling around one of the other small islands in the Galapagos - Santa Fe.

It was amazing to snorkel with the sea lions twirling in the water around us - this was one of my favorite activities on the island.  The sea life underneath us was amazing too (sorry I don't have an underwater camera). 

Leaving the island of Santa Fe for our next stop.

Hidden Beach - it's named this because it's fairly technical to get to.

Iguanas literally everywhere!

The water was as warm as bath water.

More sea lions playing here too.

Iguanas (look at all of the tracks on the beach from their tails!!)  

Crabs everywhere too!