So, many of you may know that I took off for 10 days at the end of July to trek down to Nicaragua. I’d been there before, back in ’07, so I was more prepared this trip to capture good times on camera! I have many posts planned to memorialize this vacation, but I want to start out with simply my favorite pics. They may or may not be related to gardening or plants, but I’m hoping you’ll be as drawn in as I was by the colors, sights and sumptuousness of this part of Central America!We visited during the rainy season, and everything was covered with moss. The soil, trees, rocks, even parts of buildings. It probably isn’t good on a large scale, but on a small scale, I was fascinated by it.  I love the fuzzy texture and the patina it lends to everything.

On one of our first full days there, we went sight-seeing around the countryside, and stopped by this cantina on the way home. We were the only people there, and they rolled out the red carpet for us. Ice-cold cerveza, tostones and good music. Dirty dancing here we have (from left to right): Bergman, our guide; Max, my older son; Kristin, a  teacher from CA; and Luke, my younger son. Kristin had the craziest dance moves we’ve ever seen, hence the blurry face.

This was a typical breakfast: eggs, gallo pinto (beans and rice) and for fun they threw in some bread. We were never carb-starved during our stay! Missing on this plate was our standard fresh fruit of local papaya, mango, banana and pineapple. Coffee was local and organic–yum!

Some of the architecture was incredible–old churches in particular. I don’t want to spoil a future post on churches and buildings, but it really was fascinating. I love how, on the top of this church, there was a statue of Jesus with a light-bulb halo around his head! Ancient architecture meets modern-day technology!

While we were in Leon for a day of sight-seeing, we spotted this mural of Augusto Cesar Sandino, a  Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion against the U.S. military occupation of Nicaragua between 1927 and 1933.  He became a hero and symbol of resistance to U.S. domination–so note how Sandino’s left foot is on top of Uncle Sam!

As you can imagine, we saw a lot of santos in niches in the churches. Here we were actually touring the ruins of a church in Leon. No santos present, so Max obliged and struck a pose. I was laughing so hard that the rest of the group came back to see what all the shenanigans were about.

This was the Iguana Bar on the beach at San Juan del Sur. Awesome that they’re giving away free ladies during happy hour!

Brett and I found a great little place to have lunch in San Juan del Sur. The guy at the next table turned out to be a college student from Austin! Lives a few miles away from Brett. Matt from Austin, what a small world.

Okay, apologies in advance for benefitting from someone else’s misfortune. The rainy season and narrow mountain roads lead to mishaps of all stripes–and here we have a construction truck that tried to get up the hill when the road gave out. Dude slipped down and his truck overturned, but don’t worry, he was just fine! Our truck drove by on the way to Playa Maderas to go surfing, and we all had our cameras out. Dorky tourists!

This looks like a fake picture, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not–we’re in the hills high above the beach at San Juan del Sur, ready to go zip-lining with Da Flying Frog Canopy Tour! Twelve platforms, eleven lines, really high above the treetops–and this is Nicaragua, so no signing a release form in case you fall to your death. Just pay-n-go, er, -zip!

I leave my most favorite pic for last–these fruit stands were all over the place. Local women would get on the microbus before dawn (like 4:30) with all of their fruit to go to work. I thought they were so beautifully and artfully displayed that I kept looking for the perfect shot. Think I’ll print this one out and frame it, I love it so much.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this first installment of my Nicaraguan adventure–kudos to those of you who don’t know me and waded through some of the family pics! You’re good sports, all–but these pics really represent a trip filled with fun, intrigue, amusement,  and the incredible sights of a beautiful and conplex country.

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