tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39996429762415408002024-03-04T23:22:53.988-08:00The Adventures of PeteManNew! Improved! and bringing the Peace Corps experience right to your home!PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-10061558434924516292011-10-18T13:59:00.000-07:002011-10-18T13:59:17.544-07:00Papaya StormA few weeks ago, I went to cut down some papayas from a tree out back. You see, if I wait too long, the papayas ripen and the birds come and eat them. The birds are pretty, and I enjoy watching them, but they eat the papayas that are rightfully mine! Mine! Anyway - when I went to lasso a nice, ripe papaya, I managed to knock half the fruit off the tree. This means that I got hit in the head with several unripened, green papayas. Definitely the most refreshing concussion I've ever experienced.<br />
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As I recovered from the fruit avalanche, I had just induced - I saw sitting there, alone in a bare section of the tree was the bright yellow, ripened papaya - the one I had been aiming for - unscathed and mocking me.<br />
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So, here are some pictures of my fruity assailants. I had to find something to do with all these giant, green papayas - So they wound up in a couple of salads and salsas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEins0HGfrzwQso100XkIhc6U4ooGb1QRFy2M1wURzh-K2W_oRawwMj3Q-QT7jPziG4kCeWfGImnh0-7NDqzXBYbkb1YqW3TsFWH9RzWlIu-ivaAcBwJn-xDsbZYHzhHhsRZ2hpHuHC_trE/s1600/IMG_0451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEins0HGfrzwQso100XkIhc6U4ooGb1QRFy2M1wURzh-K2W_oRawwMj3Q-QT7jPziG4kCeWfGImnh0-7NDqzXBYbkb1YqW3TsFWH9RzWlIu-ivaAcBwJn-xDsbZYHzhHhsRZ2hpHuHC_trE/s320/IMG_0451.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, yes - they ARE that big.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU87bdYipyQUV2ufbIkO1Um4DqT96srdHOTj8hEriegElNqBp9y8fTCatC9FakzD9u7VyxQr7N4uZb5wnP6X21rHcLUs5WThR7xMJElwprsFqdTin7o7-ZBjKy0Gb41IofOXgwWXbD4AI/s1600/IMG_0452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU87bdYipyQUV2ufbIkO1Um4DqT96srdHOTj8hEriegElNqBp9y8fTCatC9FakzD9u7VyxQr7N4uZb5wnP6X21rHcLUs5WThR7xMJElwprsFqdTin7o7-ZBjKy0Gb41IofOXgwWXbD4AI/s320/IMG_0452.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clearly delirious from impact</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqs0lIkzm9CLAn38ZmflKAvYXLRjoZmxlLoU49tktsY1KjN1wQg87CGMq-VtEaBofK93NI9qZAFneUrV-2W7-oZmqIoABoKt9jkVtm4j24H35FgJiluMfjWUofk1Q1O5mAsc6e4Pz_B4/s1600/IMG_0458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqs0lIkzm9CLAn38ZmflKAvYXLRjoZmxlLoU49tktsY1KjN1wQg87CGMq-VtEaBofK93NI9qZAFneUrV-2W7-oZmqIoABoKt9jkVtm4j24H35FgJiluMfjWUofk1Q1O5mAsc6e4Pz_B4/s320/IMG_0458.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eh, ripe enough... Take THAT birds!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-62166101597919837522011-10-18T13:43:00.000-07:002011-10-18T13:43:49.244-07:00Goats!<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">So, this summer, I went crazy and purchased some goats. This was not an entirely preposterous endeavor. It will surprise most of the people that I know that there was an actual plan for the goats all along. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">You see… goats will eat darn near anything that they come across. Which means that they are replacing my compost pile for a much faster system of organic reconstitution. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Goats, as with other ruminants like cows, deer and sheep, have a rumen. This rumen acts as a decomposition center that rapidly breaks down things that are otherwise indigestible to animals without one. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Using goats this season, we managed to keep from throwing out any of the corn waste that is produced from corn production. That includes the husks and stalks. The pictures below are the goats and all the personality that comes with them. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZskn8TzLjT5e0zWQtY5Q6LfZSn2LjPMoQyZ9y-iAJcvZbqMYhTukjpf318z6VlSS-vzRpkPvJfCzJcNYCfsokFSSJQEDSs085jfVYy5M3_Wga1P5hR3qPr-fod33g5m66uOm6k9-KOXg/s1600/IMG_0536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZskn8TzLjT5e0zWQtY5Q6LfZSn2LjPMoQyZ9y-iAJcvZbqMYhTukjpf318z6VlSS-vzRpkPvJfCzJcNYCfsokFSSJQEDSs085jfVYy5M3_Wga1P5hR3qPr-fod33g5m66uOm6k9-KOXg/s320/IMG_0536.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big male and I have a strange relationship - he keeps me on my toes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1QSaulo2NteJrgzBBd1WMJGjRf4GUj_QueHpFKRjMWj0W0UYW7Tjh8obLQl0sxrgjHH0YHLdS1yUcjIF_3wqGHrWx5vWkOkuzhsGxqndTQ5_Vp8elbnDRCm73iIBOb2Njs_xHM38pGE/s1600/IMG_0540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1QSaulo2NteJrgzBBd1WMJGjRf4GUj_QueHpFKRjMWj0W0UYW7Tjh8obLQl0sxrgjHH0YHLdS1yUcjIF_3wqGHrWx5vWkOkuzhsGxqndTQ5_Vp8elbnDRCm73iIBOb2Njs_xHM38pGE/s320/IMG_0540.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the mama goat - soon she'll be a mama again!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GjpcCqacBNxnr_8u8yZLKMjBDH1ajdS21YOLfClH-sKAcsFb0-fM0gAhWiNsJeCbiB0ccnooeiMUxlUdpClSRPjlatUBypsLy4nV77P4EJ15ygE0c6pIGHxNC9jkGCelJyciUjJ6wzw/s1600/IMG_0541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GjpcCqacBNxnr_8u8yZLKMjBDH1ajdS21YOLfClH-sKAcsFb0-fM0gAhWiNsJeCbiB0ccnooeiMUxlUdpClSRPjlatUBypsLy4nV77P4EJ15ygE0c6pIGHxNC9jkGCelJyciUjJ6wzw/s320/IMG_0541.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The baby, he's packed with personality</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBVvg9I4r1vRcakQN7iQ-sQPn17ZWZd1j61wbRwSpeKib9bHZKVSIyAT-b9Uhx9qXNvE8JOu-tjfg_bfKN3MTfOUn12sAqvxQI4foB7jatmEDte2jaes3VlZw7GHje4jSi28LsbNv_xQ/s1600/IMG_0542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBVvg9I4r1vRcakQN7iQ-sQPn17ZWZd1j61wbRwSpeKib9bHZKVSIyAT-b9Uhx9qXNvE8JOu-tjfg_bfKN3MTfOUn12sAqvxQI4foB7jatmEDte2jaes3VlZw7GHje4jSi28LsbNv_xQ/s320/IMG_0542.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soon to be a mama for the first time, she loves banana peels!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhI6eXTH1KJyrxuPb-7OKRTz3l9kZfnUWr_uy8QZi0ULng29vGlaNyTHyIB2_f-TiUney8Ld3ZUuD5NkWbWHOmjssJBVdUk-E3qBFotcFXTkOGfyXbFOtiEateFKkKW0mJo3PKqaxCRBU/s1600/IMG_0546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhI6eXTH1KJyrxuPb-7OKRTz3l9kZfnUWr_uy8QZi0ULng29vGlaNyTHyIB2_f-TiUney8Ld3ZUuD5NkWbWHOmjssJBVdUk-E3qBFotcFXTkOGfyXbFOtiEateFKkKW0mJo3PKqaxCRBU/s320/IMG_0546.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm excited for this herd to be much larger</td></tr>
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In a few weeks, we hope that two of the females will give us some babies so that we can have even more goats and start collecting goat milk for cheese production.</span></span></div>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-68239175201458169502011-09-11T15:08:00.000-07:002011-09-11T15:10:05.669-07:009/11<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Instead of focusing on both the lives and opportunities that were lost as a result of the events 10 years ago, let us focus on the future we have the opportunity to build for the next 10 years.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpVFVqtzxJ1sXTuOqIssJx3-4vIaCkUfRN1UW5OzdqjiYPWBHCYAnLvuaiVhXc7zOvocUCI-ygPrvTenQXlAP_v2gl7A63XF32VWPkK1A7jrD5Oh5K1FslcsTQaiZBiXYDfS-nvMjqgc/s1600/9-11-01candlesimplelarge1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpVFVqtzxJ1sXTuOqIssJx3-4vIaCkUfRN1UW5OzdqjiYPWBHCYAnLvuaiVhXc7zOvocUCI-ygPrvTenQXlAP_v2gl7A63XF32VWPkK1A7jrD5Oh5K1FslcsTQaiZBiXYDfS-nvMjqgc/s320/9-11-01candlesimplelarge1.gif" width="267" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Posts will resume soon. It's been a crazy month.</span></span>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-16870897043553459942011-08-03T18:42:00.000-07:002011-08-03T18:43:55.517-07:00Summer Camp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonAFwdHfaaSSzwxmIchKA4jZg0feKCezzstjE21_rP3CBKrEgs9bMoihdO3SKKyTPUADmo5jroSkIZRHwbAENDTx00qjRHuYVlynlws62SYfzIOFz67rV6gncZI9ntzxYjfbrTngGNnc/s1600/DSCN1100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonAFwdHfaaSSzwxmIchKA4jZg0feKCezzstjE21_rP3CBKrEgs9bMoihdO3SKKyTPUADmo5jroSkIZRHwbAENDTx00qjRHuYVlynlws62SYfzIOFz67rV6gncZI9ntzxYjfbrTngGNnc/s320/DSCN1100.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melana explains the rules of a modified "Duck, Duck, Goose."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEsBAZLe5SymapZWqZGLBRpBEdGJSlfZtltxOBRTrrcil5iIdsP74lxXT-k3QbvKn-TOWIp4Z_lXHWWzA88Icei2J0pvBqdg2L1T4ZBFhmfqL7Nkg5-0mueS3oEx-PcrCCHhDHDOHGiM/s1600/DSCN1102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEsBAZLe5SymapZWqZGLBRpBEdGJSlfZtltxOBRTrrcil5iIdsP74lxXT-k3QbvKn-TOWIp4Z_lXHWWzA88Icei2J0pvBqdg2L1T4ZBFhmfqL7Nkg5-0mueS3oEx-PcrCCHhDHDOHGiM/s320/DSCN1102.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I teach the kids about colors before a painting session.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgs7911N7vROcMMQ3OWmGZiM-tqVQmsj_2P6Rzv6-mUoHSxXmIF2MkxDNaxQ8BIjbErSBO1cqoDkM20G9Yj5xoCQB1t9sgQfGf0thDMM24sLXT_Lb7qaZy8o79aHUBtdrNSSYw50tRI0/s1600/DSCN1104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgs7911N7vROcMMQ3OWmGZiM-tqVQmsj_2P6Rzv6-mUoHSxXmIF2MkxDNaxQ8BIjbErSBO1cqoDkM20G9Yj5xoCQB1t9sgQfGf0thDMM24sLXT_Lb7qaZy8o79aHUBtdrNSSYw50tRI0/s1600/DSCN1104.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melana managed to make our house look like a classroom.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZmW0HkhsyvFayW1G5rqQW1e-YH9HWZ5EdkYe-o1-1yum3zfUUV9WPjXXH7bExOVwQdcm-BnO-O_YvFTFa3_7gASyatPtS7riDU_JmVXzhxeyWQrUX0i-pv79ilQVXHskRl6RPPxYtMM/s320/DSCN1103.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our younger students were the most enthusiastic learners.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">During the summer, Melana and I worked on two projects that offered structured activities for young people while they were out of school. In the US this is often referred to as “camp.” The theory is, children and young adults without structured activities and loads of free time are far more likely to get into trouble in any country regardless of culture. Trouble can be defined as anything from coloring on the walls to throwing balls through windows to drug use. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Structured activities for young people are a rather new concept in rural Costa Rica. It is expected that older children will take care of younger children rather indefinitely with minimal input from the parents except during mealtimes, bedtimes or other ritualized activities. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Keep in mind that this is a system that worked when young people had work to do in the fields and could do jobs around the house at regular intervals. As most young people no longer spend a significant portion of their day on agricultural work, however, they have the opportunity to fall victim to the mother of all bad ideas: boredom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">(Keep in mind that an agrarian model is also why US students have the summers off. If you’re a US student, do YOU work in the fields during the summer?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The idea that adults would voluntarily spend any more time with children than was absolutely necessary seems a little crazy to the average Tico. Therefore, the idea of camp and structured activities for young people was greeted with skepticism by the community. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, Melana and I decided that we were going to start with a two day English camp. The first set of kids would come in the morning at 7:30 and the second set would arrive at 12:30. We invited the younger children (7-9) to come in the morning followed by the older kids (10-12) to come in the afternoon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Melana set up the house to look much like a classroom. There were colorful books everywhere and plenty of space for sitting on the floor. We had 5 participants show up. The kids learned about English and made their own animal books and sang songs. After juice and a snack we took them outside to play. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the afternoon, we ran into a problem. The younger kids didn’t want to leave! We wound up having to tailor our activities for the younger kids who couldn’t keep up with their more advanced students. In all, we wound up with an afternoon group of about 12 students. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next week, we helped some other volunteers in a larger city with a much larger camp of 6-12 year olds. We started with about 15 students. This camp was not focused on English learning, however and we engaged the kids with several “camp” like activities. Over the course of the week, friendship bracelets and team-building exercises were all the rage and long, competitive capture the flag style games dominated the late mornings before the kids went home for lunch. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Though all of this was extremely fun and rewarding, the other volunteers and I were exhausted after chasing after children for a week or so. Unlike US kids and young adults, the youth in Costa Rica are not used to structured activities. As such, they need to be guided through every step of the way. Concepts like “tag” need to be explained in nauseating detail because the concept just hasn’t been presented to many of them before. Children usually play on their own, but never with adults watching, and never with rules.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The whole experience reminded me how important structured activities are to childhood development. We don’t just play SPUD, freeze-tag and tennis-baseball because it’s fun. We do it because “play” prepares us for life as an adult. Interacting with other individuals and operating within a series of agreed upon norms are just two examples of skills we can derive from this.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I’ll end this thought here to give you all some more pictures of Costa Rican kids playing.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzGTZT-Tx6WeWdFv86z_EMfrhmXsk6vxlnA3yl0xyANE9fEbzUCGIZmh4yqy8H4q8Nv_7koFueqijkHpq1HD6X1H93RYPbYs41Ql3jFcrFtxnt2Wvn-kQulgSYVQMuv9wBtB9VpMLy_o/s1600/DSCN1152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzGTZT-Tx6WeWdFv86z_EMfrhmXsk6vxlnA3yl0xyANE9fEbzUCGIZmh4yqy8H4q8Nv_7koFueqijkHpq1HD6X1H93RYPbYs41Ql3jFcrFtxnt2Wvn-kQulgSYVQMuv9wBtB9VpMLy_o/s320/DSCN1152.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Introductions are always a must at camp.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3ajDyWiwC5NKURKp5CdZZuu2e6IRZ8Gg76jH_MNZIJTG5HDdnAq-KBJDZ5OcN9BDhQlt-u8EghFrlK2Ij9AfrTOe6IfDjzIFKAoSDsxwizDdcqwxzaDb1kwRjf4nPEm8RTgJIzc__FA/s1600/DSCN1155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3ajDyWiwC5NKURKp5CdZZuu2e6IRZ8Gg76jH_MNZIJTG5HDdnAq-KBJDZ5OcN9BDhQlt-u8EghFrlK2Ij9AfrTOe6IfDjzIFKAoSDsxwizDdcqwxzaDb1kwRjf4nPEm8RTgJIzc__FA/s320/DSCN1155.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students paint reused soda bottles for potted plants.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ElW_pSwKpBA44ysPMUZiOIBzNbbpuUCrJwSq-hI6OeA191V_vnI1kBM3s0m0WiTVaWGds5PYgBI_MVdM0uhv3N6mgirxoi_W7CeBe9neIcnWaoT6aWPaYmmXRtW0IVj0bD9odMecCL0/s1600/DSCN1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ElW_pSwKpBA44ysPMUZiOIBzNbbpuUCrJwSq-hI6OeA191V_vnI1kBM3s0m0WiTVaWGds5PYgBI_MVdM0uhv3N6mgirxoi_W7CeBe9neIcnWaoT6aWPaYmmXRtW0IVj0bD9odMecCL0/s320/DSCN1156.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this team builder, participants must turn over the tarp without using their hands!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYLehaIRoli_XsLFoub2n8Ga7SvTnKUMuoGisTFPExK7kJKhMRTYi-5mjX8wz32UcjBkBx1inKm-ZihJcvb-gFEwEOE2jPO2Owv97rGC3lXidh5m4Tn6PPqdcrFxvyM42fB03yxD33Lc/s1600/DSCN1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYLehaIRoli_XsLFoub2n8Ga7SvTnKUMuoGisTFPExK7kJKhMRTYi-5mjX8wz32UcjBkBx1inKm-ZihJcvb-gFEwEOE2jPO2Owv97rGC3lXidh5m4Tn6PPqdcrFxvyM42fB03yxD33Lc/s320/DSCN1158.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Helium Stick" : one of my favorite team builders.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kCoS59CMTrgJW7ANiwi6KgntaNzEtFjxhRHDSu9w_TbEQRVJ-5TM6zYAoYyPH9YyDsNottQ4IBp2GXNHc_usJz-jMdqhIA4YUgATNTcUDwIkncG-G2Rahtz-n2VHuhdMy3o8UVgIY_k/s1600/DSCN1162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kCoS59CMTrgJW7ANiwi6KgntaNzEtFjxhRHDSu9w_TbEQRVJ-5TM6zYAoYyPH9YyDsNottQ4IBp2GXNHc_usJz-jMdqhIA4YUgATNTcUDwIkncG-G2Rahtz-n2VHuhdMy3o8UVgIY_k/s320/DSCN1162.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students join hands for a human knot.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsVDjibXKhoRsYvmWit-rwsr9xtpuHPOrol-bElkqoKYoPc9Iq5Lsocle5Sk6tvJF0zWmGr7XfMR5utC9ITgHGoL4SztHLfoOFAN63h5WVuKoA7KRt7noHGXM0nx4TO1EgT2uO9AJNZw/s1600/DSCN1167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsVDjibXKhoRsYvmWit-rwsr9xtpuHPOrol-bElkqoKYoPc9Iq5Lsocle5Sk6tvJF0zWmGr7XfMR5utC9ITgHGoL4SztHLfoOFAN63h5WVuKoA7KRt7noHGXM0nx4TO1EgT2uO9AJNZw/s320/DSCN1167.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two students play "capture the flag"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-12726642933231248822011-08-02T16:17:00.000-07:002011-08-02T16:17:38.156-07:00Spanish Joke!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Op22bn_TryFa4SGky9jKRHE95kPaoFwVZKZLHbGgCJx-oJwUtVmqoLuJl5Y1A8USwoDDxvsJ1Fd_r5FopNvaI2vLWddc3H6b51q_60mPg0X62QLS-c9q0Lv8NrwKDvnFtr9HPMD4840/s1600/image001-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Op22bn_TryFa4SGky9jKRHE95kPaoFwVZKZLHbGgCJx-oJwUtVmqoLuJl5Y1A8USwoDDxvsJ1Fd_r5FopNvaI2vLWddc3H6b51q_60mPg0X62QLS-c9q0Lv8NrwKDvnFtr9HPMD4840/s1600/image001-13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
HAH!<br />
<br />
-Thanks to Joan for finding this!PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-53139197142909735982011-07-31T23:52:00.000-07:002011-07-31T23:52:00.801-07:00Happy Ramadan!Today is the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. Happy holidays to all my friends who celebrate Islam!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAq2O9mOAGDFWMLZhqM-r2e9UPMr_mXZo1Vthk-YFAZV7cJlf5VWH41yPOvNmIInt3Qfii31Rl2vDFNdliUYRefNOw9jvkO2RJ-5gaDL_2vWayJLdFjKUUNc3vqygkMJ1NVqvfe14SCU0/s1600/94875_RamadanKareemMoon3_jpg5d5b6d90c775f20942d032fc1f5d6947.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAq2O9mOAGDFWMLZhqM-r2e9UPMr_mXZo1Vthk-YFAZV7cJlf5VWH41yPOvNmIInt3Qfii31Rl2vDFNdliUYRefNOw9jvkO2RJ-5gaDL_2vWayJLdFjKUUNc3vqygkMJ1NVqvfe14SCU0/s400/94875_RamadanKareemMoon3_jpg5d5b6d90c775f20942d032fc1f5d6947.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
To all non-Muslims, the month of Ramadan is a great time to learn about Muslim culture. For example, did you know that an observing Muslim should not eat before sunset for the entire month of Ramadan? To find out more, you can read about it <a href="http://www.colostate.edu/orgs/MSA/events/Ramadan.html">here</a>.PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-85784816119954729472011-07-25T10:22:00.000-07:002011-07-25T10:22:21.392-07:00On Norway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKCj2t6fJ3WpVJd-1kNjxWWjxIp8XvtsZA5jJHB4t2eqfx3asBlZmtov73bX6MohRUVgB04AwPJiuLC79T4LvPG75Q6XVfDcbvw-3nJ1nYdmk1BU_01PXdWKKVckrSCnbVH8zpqs-q4g/s1600/norway-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKCj2t6fJ3WpVJd-1kNjxWWjxIp8XvtsZA5jJHB4t2eqfx3asBlZmtov73bX6MohRUVgB04AwPJiuLC79T4LvPG75Q6XVfDcbvw-3nJ1nYdmk1BU_01PXdWKKVckrSCnbVH8zpqs-q4g/s320/norway-flag.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I do not have the special connection with Norway that I do with Japan. But, as someone who works with youth camps, I feel very connected to this. My thoughts go out to the Kingdom of Norway.<br />
<br />
May we all support Norway through this tragedy with compassion and tolerance.PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-15677030097980426142011-07-25T10:15:00.000-07:002011-07-25T10:15:49.709-07:00It's my Birthday!I'm hanging out with my dogs, cat and chickens and contemplating what it means to be 28. Melana's out of town today, so I'm just relaxing. There are no plans for cake, but it's nice birthday none the less! Thanks for reading!<div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5LBW2Of-XAqUBc1pRuZp2vYM5ikTlijhOEphBow3Hjsa_RQhyphenhyphenR5ZTzJOIxbLJnH58j581fOwtCwvlSx7qFqjzs7OAVxXzL3cifDwwi5oY672LxBzrqcOzQ7zQFOTEY9PQawEkUVUxFw/s1600/The-Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5LBW2Of-XAqUBc1pRuZp2vYM5ikTlijhOEphBow3Hjsa_RQhyphenhyphenR5ZTzJOIxbLJnH58j581fOwtCwvlSx7qFqjzs7OAVxXzL3cifDwwi5oY672LxBzrqcOzQ7zQFOTEY9PQawEkUVUxFw/s320/The-Cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cake is a lie!</td></tr>
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</div>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-83339416116078929752011-07-22T17:52:00.000-07:002011-07-26T21:13:25.182-07:00How to post on this blogHey everyone. I have a real update coming soon but I thought I would answer a question that came across my email recently. How do you post on this blog? All you have to do is follow the directions below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVy1GbvwtIxjlpndQ2vlHXNqQnms51FzFf4viTPoJW8UMF2gZH5gohMCrkiesN14QJ0k3gJ1fIBJ8c6tD3SGiWG08qrYVr528RMGa0ek2b2aS2rFJaoyFy7vqLHi2_5in4UI2M73adD4/s1600/Add+comment.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVy1GbvwtIxjlpndQ2vlHXNqQnms51FzFf4viTPoJW8UMF2gZH5gohMCrkiesN14QJ0k3gJ1fIBJ8c6tD3SGiWG08qrYVr528RMGa0ek2b2aS2rFJaoyFy7vqLHi2_5in4UI2M73adD4/s1600/Add+comment.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First: Click the comments link. The comments link can be found at the bottom of every post.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUKON5UCLrM5adLVD22XcoWYS9fHDlyD6PyTH42CbP7xOxJ8_TJuuFBTcgc_m8vhQG2IJzCiWKDRNdUxSbsf6XME5hlmhtPAhGyupioSYok6ID_dyu2wZiew6DxuU5S1IhjXRCWrypLE/s1600/Comment+box.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUKON5UCLrM5adLVD22XcoWYS9fHDlyD6PyTH42CbP7xOxJ8_TJuuFBTcgc_m8vhQG2IJzCiWKDRNdUxSbsf6XME5hlmhtPAhGyupioSYok6ID_dyu2wZiew6DxuU5S1IhjXRCWrypLE/s320/Comment+box.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second: Type your comment. Here is where you add a comment. I have enabled comment moderation because this is a family show. That means that I need to give the ok before anything gets posted.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRZ2UYmV1H4cnpnU_QRet1vG0dUx4ji-7YnqANjJndzJ2L5wgGieknRHEWvRvEI77QCMVqZ7wSRjH5XWiOUZds3HH96F0Vw4JFlbQQSy8zxIAwzjrN-CyrzG19XB5QiP-uG8y_2n1Wq4/s1600/Are++you+human%253F.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRZ2UYmV1H4cnpnU_QRet1vG0dUx4ji-7YnqANjJndzJ2L5wgGieknRHEWvRvEI77QCMVqZ7wSRjH5XWiOUZds3HH96F0Vw4JFlbQQSy8zxIAwzjrN-CyrzG19XB5QiP-uG8y_2n1Wq4/s320/Are++you+human%253F.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third: Type the word verification. This word verification ensures that you're not a spam bot. Because spam bots run wild all over the internet, us humans have to put up with these boxes. Simply type the word in the box. In the case above, you would type "junotedl". If you cannot read the word for some reason, reload or click on the stick figure in the wheelchair for assistance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC37CH2Hy6anTZtaYHN0pS8DkY4ZFSYAvERalc1HVHYw26So-K30MvlFwSphcl1RptuoTABIPyi4eM5UEnINIXJbDr7xLhdr2LQbgeibFJcZuWe2jMTx99AJyI9ciUoMVHkKt2LH8lyJo/s1600/ID.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC37CH2Hy6anTZtaYHN0pS8DkY4ZFSYAvERalc1HVHYw26So-K30MvlFwSphcl1RptuoTABIPyi4eM5UEnINIXJbDr7xLhdr2LQbgeibFJcZuWe2jMTx99AJyI9ciUoMVHkKt2LH8lyJo/s320/ID.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fourth: Choose your identity and post! Contrary to popular belief, you do NOT need a google account to post a comment. You may choose any number of identities from your name (Name/URL) to Anonymous. If you have an OpenID, such as AIM, you may post with that identity as well.</td></tr>
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I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions.PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-88031650562111493182011-07-18T11:53:00.000-07:002011-07-18T13:31:11.658-07:00Agouti SightingI saw one of these the other day! It was pretty cool because I'm currently working on a project to try to bring these to domestication. More on that later. For now, aren't they cool?<br />
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Agoutis are hare sized rodents that live in forests and burrow in leaf litter. I want one! Actually, I want several to breed and eat my kitchen scraps.<br />
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Ticos consider agouti meat to be tasty, so they have been hunted relentlessly and driven out of many areas in Costa Rica. I would like to have farmers raise them as an alternative to cattle or pigs. They breed like rabbits (literally) and can be raised in forests so that land doesn't need to be clear-cut as it does for cows.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvRdopEF663Tatgt4SKoj6G6B5LB8VbFc_xwucH47QHKicQhD5vbMwDE0cl0QZ1nd6pG7Dl_wTPvJQ7V-B2zpyQ2tyGa54OEQSLUTwWR6KNhWnUZ-bO7lm0aPtFQ86GWtHAcBgiCEARI/s1600/agouti.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvRdopEF663Tatgt4SKoj6G6B5LB8VbFc_xwucH47QHKicQhD5vbMwDE0cl0QZ1nd6pG7Dl_wTPvJQ7V-B2zpyQ2tyGa54OEQSLUTwWR6KNhWnUZ-bO7lm0aPtFQ86GWtHAcBgiCEARI/s400/agouti.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Sadly, this is not my picture. I didn't have my camera with me at the time. A good thing, too because we were caught in a monsoon and got soaked to the bone!<br />
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If you'd like to read more about agoutis and their agricultural potential you can do so <a href="http://www.sist.sn/cgi-bin/library?e=d-00000-00---off-0demo--00-0--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10---4-------0-1l--11-fr-50---20-about---00-0-1-00-0-0-11-1-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=demo&cl=CL2.1&d=HASHf271d310055b4ac4c10bdb.7.1">here!</a>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-41218789411788001462011-07-09T11:48:00.000-07:002011-07-09T11:48:00.254-07:00Chicken coop!<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This kind of got buried a bit ago, but I wanted to announce the completion of our new chicken coop! This is significant, not only because it will allow us to raise our very own chickens for eggs and meat, but also because it offers a model of sustainable home agriculture even for those who have very little land.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It is also significant on a personal note because this is the first free-standing structure I have every designed and built. As you can see below, some of the craftsmanship betrays my amateur status, but as long as it continues to be functional I don’t think the chickens will notice how ugly it is.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Below you can see the progression of construction from zero to finished. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">The only tools we used to make this were a hammer, wire cutters and a hand saw...oh, and nails. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfmZ0aX05jgUI5tFlUD2mw1BzC6UeYq5n12UaVC_fkCeeyo2BEQ4XMW0Pssa-yGZzVshZmNY6tsyUFZx7DlpKwj4QP2RYi1i1gIUzDOhln45xTrpoJs4iTWKWyxssqWHCbbiqXEDAIjM/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfmZ0aX05jgUI5tFlUD2mw1BzC6UeYq5n12UaVC_fkCeeyo2BEQ4XMW0Pssa-yGZzVshZmNY6tsyUFZx7DlpKwj4QP2RYi1i1gIUzDOhln45xTrpoJs4iTWKWyxssqWHCbbiqXEDAIjM/s320/1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXkgkS9swX0eQaJGcFvVpBhQBkZLBKW7GzTv-A3RKzfHEnoPOQWR4DFWHsuZ8L4XZlKs-SE-bNeAZe2u8u0ryv4ISuOd2Yy9Tye6vRpm49xmn3WdoP9WgUJOthH5_oAZPxmFtMRHA1jA/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXkgkS9swX0eQaJGcFvVpBhQBkZLBKW7GzTv-A3RKzfHEnoPOQWR4DFWHsuZ8L4XZlKs-SE-bNeAZe2u8u0ryv4ISuOd2Yy9Tye6vRpm49xmn3WdoP9WgUJOthH5_oAZPxmFtMRHA1jA/s320/2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We started with four A-frames, supported by a central "spine".<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIuu68v16xVgOZF38TWqcIEQevxqfibUczeGWlXxzi8zMSyTYzmGKsuSD148UIDCOhLPECT3X4I6PAvsLalsVYCTJylMLM6RfmoxRGXUAMF9bmxAPFlQLh01jrbK-32e1f77i8uDy46bw/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIuu68v16xVgOZF38TWqcIEQevxqfibUczeGWlXxzi8zMSyTYzmGKsuSD148UIDCOhLPECT3X4I6PAvsLalsVYCTJylMLM6RfmoxRGXUAMF9bmxAPFlQLh01jrbK-32e1f77i8uDy46bw/s320/3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Normally, I would have wanted to use a lot more wood in this project. But with a limited amount of money, (not to mention having to carry all the materials from the hardware story on foot) stretching a fine screen seemed to do the same thing at lesser cost. Even if it is a little less sturdy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugTyMxiN7hCgK-cra1hUq4gVtPPkA-anVKxJ00wWPeKUrHMnvpMoqbXJb5hyphenhyphenhsGqcG8FLMYbz8WOYJIrM__ylP8Fe9jspiZjWwJrKOCeBAAdaRBVjSIVTzROP-Dephsr-EkmqkhhUgg8/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugTyMxiN7hCgK-cra1hUq4gVtPPkA-anVKxJ00wWPeKUrHMnvpMoqbXJb5hyphenhyphenhsGqcG8FLMYbz8WOYJIrM__ylP8Fe9jspiZjWwJrKOCeBAAdaRBVjSIVTzROP-Dephsr-EkmqkhhUgg8/s320/5.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQbwp9i4UxFE9iFUFHFJiQUY_fFmf7tghKAT1kYhyphenhyphen-xBdJ5wUKRcOwvL2p3hEwVQjSIG7FoTvDxTI16AdKAcj0Qzyn4Rm1MYDonpvXMVomU6j-zUKbaUvA_G5wf8a7TCil8JwUb96ha4/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQbwp9i4UxFE9iFUFHFJiQUY_fFmf7tghKAT1kYhyphenhyphen-xBdJ5wUKRcOwvL2p3hEwVQjSIG7FoTvDxTI16AdKAcj0Qzyn4Rm1MYDonpvXMVomU6j-zUKbaUvA_G5wf8a7TCil8JwUb96ha4/s320/4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The rain fly can be raised or lowered to allow the chickens air/shelter depending on the weather<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPf0xw0I2v1OPbooPMrfMkXlwbuEVO8AK0F3KNGYQWxswVnmAsRZX4-ts2_Jvgd_4jaU9w3IWTWmCBCWpYLkOVdqMGjDcFAKgDvuU8ThrgLhtNaAyWSSLBdCcvmtKhBxJYp8aSBBZFf8/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPf0xw0I2v1OPbooPMrfMkXlwbuEVO8AK0F3KNGYQWxswVnmAsRZX4-ts2_Jvgd_4jaU9w3IWTWmCBCWpYLkOVdqMGjDcFAKgDvuU8ThrgLhtNaAyWSSLBdCcvmtKhBxJYp8aSBBZFf8/s320/6.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Recently, we have also purchased 4 chickens specifically for egg-laying. Because both groups of chickens tend to fight, we've sanctioned off a section of the yard for them. Here is what it looks like now: </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDr1LzXp2IZmMKcXGKCKrdkwuBgOVYWhTQNTu5eYny0iQaLLfBsG380YNZkTAG3QMLqdJWLq_rmytRWzgCwV_mhvGkVcF3cbtUehBlyPmNTsabvo-d8l4Q0MGWipgbvcj81XNttKPhT0/s1600/DSCN1122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDr1LzXp2IZmMKcXGKCKrdkwuBgOVYWhTQNTu5eYny0iQaLLfBsG380YNZkTAG3QMLqdJWLq_rmytRWzgCwV_mhvGkVcF3cbtUehBlyPmNTsabvo-d8l4Q0MGWipgbvcj81XNttKPhT0/s320/DSCN1122.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the same little guys from the June 2 post.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxj_pDip6RYnqUO-UK578zfL9HY_9fWfvQoIKODR7MtfvNCDlmw3M3SMjU_AZvHbdU9sZHNW81rFBfG-prD6KocxwHlNvc70zoEjPSZNxZTprneC3ekuJPop14xeSoznuqX157QJ8xKL0/s1600/DSCN1120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxj_pDip6RYnqUO-UK578zfL9HY_9fWfvQoIKODR7MtfvNCDlmw3M3SMjU_AZvHbdU9sZHNW81rFBfG-prD6KocxwHlNvc70zoEjPSZNxZTprneC3ekuJPop14xeSoznuqX157QJ8xKL0/s320/DSCN1120.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTo_byXJaP4GFmRegLIdwAXSnMR0RrJuj3YHnC-CUI4CV0ER5QaL9gVj-eklI_tihxHbuEAVilFDvTPWLwvSRCzANf7z1xzbKGZPmEiEeuWGsf5Hq7dtdRnBUq7vzDoAqzofVgkB_8P4/s1600/DSCN1121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTo_byXJaP4GFmRegLIdwAXSnMR0RrJuj3YHnC-CUI4CV0ER5QaL9gVj-eklI_tihxHbuEAVilFDvTPWLwvSRCzANf7z1xzbKGZPmEiEeuWGsf5Hq7dtdRnBUq7vzDoAqzofVgkB_8P4/s320/DSCN1121.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
To continue with all things chicken, I killed the first of our chickens today to make room for some of the new ones. Melana had the pleasure of plucking and cleaning it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9Z1HW0aeK6e_L8wJK-8BfBI-X-_hrfmS5KdDJOKT8UzWnAGPH1oVO9Xag0Xj9MNkCS8_jUNN9zTZBKvcSxpY4tfHkMQw5PbDMvlgGZSKpJiU9CZT_z7LhGM2wMpMpZ6SG4vfky788Fw/s1600/DSCN1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9Z1HW0aeK6e_L8wJK-8BfBI-X-_hrfmS5KdDJOKT8UzWnAGPH1oVO9Xag0Xj9MNkCS8_jUNN9zTZBKvcSxpY4tfHkMQw5PbDMvlgGZSKpJiU9CZT_z7LhGM2wMpMpZ6SG4vfky788Fw/s320/DSCN1117.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not as happy as she looks about this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpABZBGblFLO6OWX7wDuSJ2k2KcrXjD-Dm1ZZBseQum4mwg-DeEgXtCu5RS1RxA30N0m2rwAXfQjhfZlcFJo1AuoWaFrRd-bFCVTMzuQWHEmqQXHQACFz502uOfHgHdxl6w-zcfaM5snM/s1600/DSCN1119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpABZBGblFLO6OWX7wDuSJ2k2KcrXjD-Dm1ZZBseQum4mwg-DeEgXtCu5RS1RxA30N0m2rwAXfQjhfZlcFJo1AuoWaFrRd-bFCVTMzuQWHEmqQXHQACFz502uOfHgHdxl6w-zcfaM5snM/s320/DSCN1119.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first harvested egg!</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Melana and I are often stuck wondering why more people don't raise chickens. If you have questions, just ask!</div>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-15382878121047961852011-07-04T15:17:00.000-07:002011-07-04T15:17:59.873-07:00Happy 4th! Plus contest!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR6RJYokivhc0zLdgtmYQwxCLdkYfD911uzIAe02_LgqcQuF_g2hyo6pFQdDdntZ-WNLvRBM7kDRfleXqNsl7QPpOcCzJoil2QTXNLSv15-8n9iNXj6Azut_9_GNA1ZJgUs3VjPTxDdo/s1600/Declaration_independence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR6RJYokivhc0zLdgtmYQwxCLdkYfD911uzIAe02_LgqcQuF_g2hyo6pFQdDdntZ-WNLvRBM7kDRfleXqNsl7QPpOcCzJoil2QTXNLSv15-8n9iNXj6Azut_9_GNA1ZJgUs3VjPTxDdo/s320/Declaration_independence.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
On this, the anniversary of our nation's independence, I pose to you this question. <br />
<br />
Which founding father's name is a synonym for the word 'signature' and why?<br />
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Only students K-8 may answer to win the prize in the form of a Costa Rican post card sent to your home by me! Please email answers to peteman126@gmail.com<br />
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Happy Independence Day!PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-24072021366109227472011-07-04T07:03:00.001-07:002011-07-04T15:16:06.099-07:00100th post!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07CzzF20Rt9oaPwXzoTo3kzgsVvhHVOmTxKkw8x36G8tEkJZ_rV_48d9B5G5uxSzBAKzTDAFkBJB7VV-DENSwsolCx2tkUpl-JUyf_ZLK8VqRhQeun03hvcFA7c81Vc_IilOZ8PUqhQA/s1600/100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07CzzF20Rt9oaPwXzoTo3kzgsVvhHVOmTxKkw8x36G8tEkJZ_rV_48d9B5G5uxSzBAKzTDAFkBJB7VV-DENSwsolCx2tkUpl-JUyf_ZLK8VqRhQeun03hvcFA7c81Vc_IilOZ8PUqhQA/s320/100.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Thanks for reading! Let's make it to 200 posts!<br /><br />PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-783259575188583352011-06-29T11:19:00.000-07:002011-06-29T11:22:23.552-07:00On Frogs<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">So, last night we found something pretty spectacular in our room. I’ll start by saying that there are certain animals Melana normally has me remove from the house. Among them are things that need to be removed by necessity, bats for example, and other creatures that need to be removed because they are harmless but exceptionally creepy. I know, I know, not all animals can be super models, but when it comes to what gets to stay and what needs to leave, I DO discriminate (apologies, Buddhists). There is really only one class of critters that regularly causes disagreements when Melana hands me their eviction notice. The animals in question are frogs. I like frogs! Frogs like to snack on airborne pests, and thrive under the same conditions that mosquitoes do. The more mosquitoes in the house, the more likely there are to be frogs in the house eating mosquitoes. Sadly, they seem to creep Melana out in a special way. For Melana, frogs are guilty of a crime of locomotion. They jump to get around, and this means that they are always only one jump away from her face. I’m not sure why frogs would be attracted to this piece of real estate among all the other surfaces they could jump to, but there you have it. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">So I regularly eject frogs from the house. Humanely. Biologists, don’t freak out. I have a special, non-soap washed cup I use to catch them and I don’t touch them unless they jump on me first. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Last night, however. I met my equivalent of a celebrity. Check out this beauty.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnJVi7NDNS4s4HNEEzBMa9tsRUBGrhjjndOJgLc0HVFI6CgOB8cC9_xLYbYmiKG6joiu1qBJjCecjtFFkhm5i37B_j9uFK8jpKMiOd_b0VQBfp39t8fGmmGHCf3FmHD9Dw5rNAduKRYo/s1600/Frog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnJVi7NDNS4s4HNEEzBMa9tsRUBGrhjjndOJgLc0HVFI6CgOB8cC9_xLYbYmiKG6joiu1qBJjCecjtFFkhm5i37B_j9uFK8jpKMiOd_b0VQBfp39t8fGmmGHCf3FmHD9Dw5rNAduKRYo/s400/Frog.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">That is a Caribbean red-eyed tree frog. A beautiful specimen. Tree frogs like this are often centerfolds for the rainforest and it’s not hard to see why. Their big, red eyes and painted underside make them stand out against a white backdrop. When in trees, however, they are shockingly difficult to spot. They are just spectacular. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Frogs have a special place in my heart due to the class of animals they belong to. Amphibians often get a bad rap. Like, Vanilla Ice bad. Folks think they’re slimy, gross, disease spreading, etc. Little boys smash them with rocks and little girls step on them after little boys put them in said little girls’ hair. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Amphibians are the most threatened class of animals that exist today. Because of their permeable skin and sensitivity to climate changes, amphibians experience extinction and habitat destruction at alarming rates. The run-off from a single farm can be enough to poison a stream for all amphibians that live there.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Amphibians are not only important because they represent an evolutionary link that ties vertebrates to the ocean, but they also control mosquito populations in some of the most malaria ridden areas of the world. By the way, whereas many animals only eat airborne mosquitoes, frogs newts and salamanders will often inhabit the same areas where mosquitoes lay their eggs and also eat many of the larva before they can leave their nursery pool. Additionally they and provide important links in the food chain wherever they occur.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">If you are interested in amphibian conservation and what’s being done in your area, you can get information at any local aquarium or zoo. Also, you can check online at </span><a href="http://amphibiaweb.org/maps/index.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">http://amphibiaweb.org/maps/index.html</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> to find out about amphibians that live near you!</span></span></div>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-15860808723993158132011-06-28T11:32:00.001-07:002011-06-28T11:32:31.406-07:00Lucy continues to grow.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYi9SXuwTIRXU6m5TZ4og1ztY4cSMd4KX7CFDd9m5ixVSxWjbYRkU5WQ6O5i_dX4GBtZn3dwMhbAOOKNDX6M9ch6JgrTwBzSgu0i2f4PLlQ6r00aE_wyYIqctS_3MyCNSOsSBhm4gV5I/s1600/IMG_0437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYi9SXuwTIRXU6m5TZ4og1ztY4cSMd4KX7CFDd9m5ixVSxWjbYRkU5WQ6O5i_dX4GBtZn3dwMhbAOOKNDX6M9ch6JgrTwBzSgu0i2f4PLlQ6r00aE_wyYIqctS_3MyCNSOsSBhm4gV5I/s320/IMG_0437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>She's getting big!PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-77355277800535045602011-06-21T11:55:00.000-07:002011-06-21T11:58:42.487-07:00Nerd Power!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviDcF5AQS6HJt7qRb5IWStqcJamq5VDWGSLzqtfwGhhk8cz_jfV2nBhhf001d5hNUwhp2iw85bJPK6ej1Md3sKD3LjFrw6d9-XWUO9uJbDka4dUdYDZQU0dkLO7bUmZOvubg1KTMrhBk/s1600/DSCN1182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviDcF5AQS6HJt7qRb5IWStqcJamq5VDWGSLzqtfwGhhk8cz_jfV2nBhhf001d5hNUwhp2iw85bJPK6ej1Md3sKD3LjFrw6d9-XWUO9uJbDka4dUdYDZQU0dkLO7bUmZOvubg1KTMrhBk/s320/DSCN1182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above: What work looks like for me some days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Today I will, once again, work to answering the ever nagging question: What exactly do I do everyday?</span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Normally, every day is different but I thought I would share some projects that I have been working on with you. </span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working on developing a computer laboratory in the local high school. </span></span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The room selected had been a storage room for the library and had been cleared out about two months ago. It was small, cement and completely unwired save for a line of florescent lights in the ceiling. I spent a few hours a day for the first couple of weeks installing desks with the shop teacher. He directed me in the fine arts of making cheap materials look nice and he even let me bevel! After we installed the desks (simple plywood beveled down and then stained) we had to wire the room. </span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">All things electronic tend to get me irrationally excited so I loved this part of the project. I got to sit down with a big spool of electrical wire and ethernet cord and run electrical wiring through PVC piping around the entirety of the room before installing outlets to pop out through the desks at each computer station. </span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">After electrifying the room, I sat down with the ethernet cord and stripped and put heads on about 30 different pieces. You know that little plastic head that fits into your computer? I went ahead and put those on. Pretty easy to learn, but it was so cool to do!</span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">After that I had to return to the states for about 2 1/2 weeks and, sadly missed much of the work with the computers and final electrical wiring.</span></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The other day, however, I was able to participate in the installation of about 15 disembodied hard disks that were stacked in a corner awaiting installation. When I entered the room and dusted off my first lobotomized computer and attempted to bring it back to life I knew I was in for a treat. As I brushed off the faded “Made for Windows 2000!” advertisements, I wondered just how much fun bringing these computers back from the great beyond would be. I spent a good three hours taking apart these modern antiques. I’ve included some pictures below for your enjoyment. It is my hope, that after this laboratory is finished, the average high school student will have a place where they can feel free to explore the internet and pursue academic or personal interests in the carefree nature that many US students take for granted. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Below: Everything that used to be in the storage room. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NCqZWIYRfB0Ly-Zt58CXP13rUJN796UW4Q71ZSXYFum7fCZII4FbnOTHVOloKuN0d0HxoU7qucQnr8d7mwXYSNZ25XkBtgjlpZ83JSFldn32BPbUJ8LZV-2P1wpDxHBsJNxXIzFcrYw/s1600/DSCN1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NCqZWIYRfB0Ly-Zt58CXP13rUJN796UW4Q71ZSXYFum7fCZII4FbnOTHVOloKuN0d0HxoU7qucQnr8d7mwXYSNZ25XkBtgjlpZ83JSFldn32BPbUJ8LZV-2P1wpDxHBsJNxXIzFcrYw/s320/DSCN1180.JPG" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Below: one of the computers in need of a hard drive<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PuNNbpL6CzXkkajxDSP_yhq6xkBrHFIxhCgsq8jbqymn-ctY6byBOP8tzNL2o2_RJsz6LEjxf0Y0MFwaJB4lbE5PT4WV7LnmhX03prPZs6TCDqzwGSG0UiwSy-wiFFrAnPKE2fXKlFk/s320/DSCN1181.JPG" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> Below: Various hard drives stacked for my convenience</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipePSKQBsSX8tLCeOY7pSyUM34hj-TgZmCevzwQX6-41BEd0oLexdAOVQc7TDHt2LIuMCHdZ7wA5yzNaGnfIAyqmKfit5RTRWIe5d_6GQGzJEQ8I4n15uBAj6ZYRF5tEx7an_lkxMklo/s1600/DSCN1176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipePSKQBsSX8tLCeOY7pSyUM34hj-TgZmCevzwQX6-41BEd0oLexdAOVQc7TDHt2LIuMCHdZ7wA5yzNaGnfIAyqmKfit5RTRWIe5d_6GQGzJEQ8I4n15uBAj6ZYRF5tEx7an_lkxMklo/s320/DSCN1176.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1S2iivcLQk6-3b3U7z5pQ6olSEGjy0I6fDT_Ub9tuViXgR2eskMUqVuwESYszGnJaeqeePKKWn7d5UAJIhWNJRkIhq-1iGsVPaH-z9z_37diLyE3SAOF7ZrrLRpcsIt78lYl7OAl-Qc/s1600/DSCN1179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1S2iivcLQk6-3b3U7z5pQ6olSEGjy0I6fDT_Ub9tuViXgR2eskMUqVuwESYszGnJaeqeePKKWn7d5UAJIhWNJRkIhq-1iGsVPaH-z9z_37diLyE3SAOF7ZrrLRpcsIt78lYl7OAl-Qc/s1600/DSCN1179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1S2iivcLQk6-3b3U7z5pQ6olSEGjy0I6fDT_Ub9tuViXgR2eskMUqVuwESYszGnJaeqeePKKWn7d5UAJIhWNJRkIhq-1iGsVPaH-z9z_37diLyE3SAOF7ZrrLRpcsIt78lYl7OAl-Qc/s320/DSCN1179.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ83JxBSwem4Sdob8wJtyctm4M6QGhO7d-JLIu8fA2ytUAatn_nIZm7jzT0VtJpeIdVSr3zHGwXBmIPeI4Eh2vQC0qefY_YWvsMgXUQ4xMzj08lY5e0hyphenhyphentYWYYflmJ3XSTdKM9hHF2RM/s1600/DSCN1178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ83JxBSwem4Sdob8wJtyctm4M6QGhO7d-JLIu8fA2ytUAatn_nIZm7jzT0VtJpeIdVSr3zHGwXBmIPeI4Eh2vQC0qefY_YWvsMgXUQ4xMzj08lY5e0hyphenhyphentYWYYflmJ3XSTdKM9hHF2RM/s320/DSCN1178.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ83JxBSwem4Sdob8wJtyctm4M6QGhO7d-JLIu8fA2ytUAatn_nIZm7jzT0VtJpeIdVSr3zHGwXBmIPeI4Eh2vQC0qefY_YWvsMgXUQ4xMzj08lY5e0hyphenhyphentYWYYflmJ3XSTdKM9hHF2RM/s1600/DSCN1178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Above: the wiring we were working with along with the ethernet cabled that I had to "head" - go ahead and take a look at one of these sometime, they're surprisingly intricate</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Below: the room as it was when I put everything back. Only a few more steps to go!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEpNnUMMp8WN6c95K_ui1P3ObEuDTM88U2gkHlwjE9nUSKDAmtUzK4V2rV7b7JsyMSQst-7jj7_EeYaqB0Ro343pIWK3Oyd79y565AAJk7pZ70gQjERItx9-n9tTSrlMYfrLn2lEfpqI/s1600/DSCN1177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEpNnUMMp8WN6c95K_ui1P3ObEuDTM88U2gkHlwjE9nUSKDAmtUzK4V2rV7b7JsyMSQst-7jj7_EeYaqB0Ro343pIWK3Oyd79y565AAJk7pZ70gQjERItx9-n9tTSrlMYfrLn2lEfpqI/s320/DSCN1177.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-71133328099030994032011-06-12T21:26:00.000-07:002011-06-12T21:27:44.515-07:00More Lucy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_-Sw8uModWC9XkxppEcaXi10B5GnyqUwlzrNc69-4JGeh3vM4DnZUjmbXQe2bjIbJ9MlhsLJQk6xSNhy0Vlmr9YXYk98F_1MA54UXWSdcQ9T9rSi95Pvx4SMn3YNUeMFeRx5e__PNQ4/s1600/Lucy+and+Lisa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_-Sw8uModWC9XkxppEcaXi10B5GnyqUwlzrNc69-4JGeh3vM4DnZUjmbXQe2bjIbJ9MlhsLJQk6xSNhy0Vlmr9YXYk98F_1MA54UXWSdcQ9T9rSi95Pvx4SMn3YNUeMFeRx5e__PNQ4/s320/Lucy+and+Lisa.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Lucy continues to grow and be generally adorable. I'll be posting more pictures periodically.<br />
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She's much healthier that she was when we got her and has befriended Melana's dog, Lisa. You may remember Lisa from some films as <a href="http://peteman126.blogspot.com/2011/05/our-house_25.html">"The Tour of Our House"</a>.PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-7656468517341371392011-06-12T20:56:00.000-07:002011-06-12T20:56:53.781-07:00And with Rainy Season...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEg1HY_VGk8JrQZyg4pMV97apnJfCb-2BBBV9D3Aef_Txc5oipJ4bVyOMxb2Gf2dtRXW3Nk6FkA1142vPjCJ09YkJ5Ca7VE6W7ary7_GFxzwTY-qRy7ULZiE7vF5sCqDGevojYs5wXkPs/s1600/DSCN1175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEg1HY_VGk8JrQZyg4pMV97apnJfCb-2BBBV9D3Aef_Txc5oipJ4bVyOMxb2Gf2dtRXW3Nk6FkA1142vPjCJ09YkJ5Ca7VE6W7ary7_GFxzwTY-qRy7ULZiE7vF5sCqDGevojYs5wXkPs/s320/DSCN1175.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Come rainy season bugs!!<br />
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Ok, seriously? Look at the size of this fly.<br />
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The swarms of mosquitoes are one thing. The ants, I can deal with. The cockroaches, fine. <br />
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What in the name of great googly moogly is a fly doing that big?<br />
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Not to mention the giant beetles that clumsily fling themselves through the house, drunkenly smashing into things and occasionally KNOCKING THEM OVER.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7I2xkdywS61CPSbhnmj7HlPgTE9dfGLwsnuPRn1x2ndBKCmYX02jzF3f3QaHXYNM35H8CsTDzRlNaXNZa0M75LLBm3_JpKLkhuPttCzxbovawKHH7q8Rd1gkFXm8udbgDHQBwQSLpvc/s1600/3584008034_5fdf7d1f4d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7I2xkdywS61CPSbhnmj7HlPgTE9dfGLwsnuPRn1x2ndBKCmYX02jzF3f3QaHXYNM35H8CsTDzRlNaXNZa0M75LLBm3_JpKLkhuPttCzxbovawKHH7q8Rd1gkFXm8udbgDHQBwQSLpvc/s320/3584008034_5fdf7d1f4d.jpg" width="320" /></a>Melana has charged me with removing all things that creep, crawl and/or fly from the house. (except for geckos, we like geckos)<br />
<br />
It's like living in the Carboniferous period down here sometimes. (look it up, kids!)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
PS - This is not my pictures... but we've seen this guy! I swept him out of the house with a broom. He came back in twice before I finally threw him into the jungle.PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-58540766229780147372011-06-12T20:38:00.000-07:002011-06-12T20:38:59.330-07:00Rainy Season<span style="font-size: large;">June has been the start of the rainy season in the north of Costa Rica. Of course, because of the micro-climates that the country has, each region experiences the change in seasons differently. You see, true rainy season for the majority of the country doesn't really start until late summer or early fall in the States. Here, however, it never really ends.<br />
<br />
My host father described the dry season in the northern provinces perfectly one day when he said,<br />
"There will be absolutely no rain for three months. Totally dry."<br />
I: "Wow, no rain at all?"<br />
He: "None"<br />
I: "What happens to all your crops? Do you have to bring water in from the river?"<br />
He: "Sometimes, but it's not that important."<br />
I: "How do all your crops survive with no water?"<br />
He: "Oh, it rains at night, of course."<br />
<br />
And so you have an accurate description of the weather in northern Alajuela province. It rains all the time.<br />
<br />
So, when I say that we had the start of the rainy season this month, what I really mean is that we've gone from midnight sprinkles to late afternoon torrential downpours. It just gets so hot during the day that the rising hot air creates some serious thunderstorms as the day tries to cool down around four or five o'clock. <br />
...And in Costa Rica, they don't mess around with their thunderstorms. It gets so loud in the house from the falling rain that Melana and I cannot understand each other even if we're yelling while standing right next to each other. <br />
The rain might be loud, but nothing compares to the lightning strikes that can happen all around us and the thunder that follows it, sometimes only barely. Often, when there is flooding in town, we lose electricity and huddle excitedly in the darkness and watch the flashing sky as the rain around us turns into an indistinguishable rush of sound. This auditory overload coupled with the near visual black out seems to turn our little wooden house in the jungle into a ship adrift in stormy seas.<br />
<br />
It is not often in the more developed parts of the world that nature snatches from us all distraction and forces us to face it head on. When it does, the circumstances are often so dire that fear and tragedy become the prominent distractions. But when, as in our situation, our modern diversions are pulled from us at low enough a threshold as to withhold any real threat of mortal peril, nature reveals itself to be a thing a great beauty, even in the darkest of storms.</span>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-43909425234273521502011-06-12T19:59:00.000-07:002011-06-12T19:59:06.716-07:00A view from our living room.Beautiful sunsets are not uncommon around Costa Rica. In the last week or so, however, they have been uncommonly beautiful.<br />
<br />
At times the sky and all the world of twilight resonates with a deep pink or even green depending on the weather.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jdZS50S_49VtGmCmyOLdJ5ZCqW-cHuW-wnP88-sf2fT7kpmaDTU4ja3kycLGrNCNqilMQOnJQMR2JxnTOuPTrP6lkzdIIBDfxQr8yF1FiDlz46p1SFBIAIT4ohv_stqwEGsSyR6KV7g/s1600/DSCN1080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jdZS50S_49VtGmCmyOLdJ5ZCqW-cHuW-wnP88-sf2fT7kpmaDTU4ja3kycLGrNCNqilMQOnJQMR2JxnTOuPTrP6lkzdIIBDfxQr8yF1FiDlz46p1SFBIAIT4ohv_stqwEGsSyR6KV7g/s320/DSCN1080.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk81bRPp4Bh_NOOMPymDfTLVGdD44J8nZhBi6plQADGg41nPu8gfuVk9yN1j1O2bglwWECrZVqbROpM-GU5hDWtaIy7xAyS2OPRZyWLuN6OlADgkfJow6EsDtwsh0LxNs9GC5fVVhNr8I/s1600/DSCN1077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk81bRPp4Bh_NOOMPymDfTLVGdD44J8nZhBi6plQADGg41nPu8gfuVk9yN1j1O2bglwWECrZVqbROpM-GU5hDWtaIy7xAyS2OPRZyWLuN6OlADgkfJow6EsDtwsh0LxNs9GC5fVVhNr8I/s320/DSCN1077.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here are two of the sights we were treated to as the rainy season started last week.PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-34116921503790844282011-06-02T14:18:00.000-07:002011-06-02T14:18:47.943-07:00Chickens!Along with our new puppy. Melana and I have decided to start raising some farm animals of our own. So I went to the store a bought some chicks.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-CUFVMGD9Vp3h_MJeYHBo5AywENVIfMyjhSqe5-jqNYk1rkJen4yCksWDDhw_BXfDK_NzD5r0TTyyYQzRGcYwtfTIesMqEV7G1mO3rKTc9_HJBjZfUrbwYLO6M2EM2J2K4hf4k26eFw/s1600/DSCN0327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-CUFVMGD9Vp3h_MJeYHBo5AywENVIfMyjhSqe5-jqNYk1rkJen4yCksWDDhw_BXfDK_NzD5r0TTyyYQzRGcYwtfTIesMqEV7G1mO3rKTc9_HJBjZfUrbwYLO6M2EM2J2K4hf4k26eFw/s320/DSCN0327.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmUzCRc_RPpNU-nxpXjGRRoPg9BACCGJvo_rllNVH9y3cvcnJuSlN0L2-Z1N8yd38K0-uInzhIsjIyIRtx1C_IC-ZT-LxbnfSrPqP-ug7N9RznfFZawBT5dcKXEegryUlFE6f-YVB3-E/s1600/DSCN0329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmUzCRc_RPpNU-nxpXjGRRoPg9BACCGJvo_rllNVH9y3cvcnJuSlN0L2-Z1N8yd38K0-uInzhIsjIyIRtx1C_IC-ZT-LxbnfSrPqP-ug7N9RznfFZawBT5dcKXEegryUlFE6f-YVB3-E/s320/DSCN0329.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I'm going to start building a home for them soon. Pictures to come!PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-7005099726357718442011-06-02T14:13:00.000-07:002011-06-02T14:13:20.417-07:00LucyWell, Melana and I just had to adopt some animals of our own.<br />
<br />
So, Melana talked to our host family and got me a puppy... and here she is!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jQmtNkdp_qQziG1BNfwGEDvSiLRfRxEJKnQ77516v9xlbnBF0cMUrWjTYyO7S2Tx6h_9u5VGZQ_z7lTxJWTUJseInbXPL2uNaoeZAnZvDn5KkmBdds5ZuT1ks0mdwdqXKytexwo-Yb8/s1600/Lucy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jQmtNkdp_qQziG1BNfwGEDvSiLRfRxEJKnQ77516v9xlbnBF0cMUrWjTYyO7S2Tx6h_9u5VGZQ_z7lTxJWTUJseInbXPL2uNaoeZAnZvDn5KkmBdds5ZuT1ks0mdwdqXKytexwo-Yb8/s320/Lucy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
We don't know how big she's going to get, but her mother is a Lab. We'll see!PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-11883419528847708252011-05-25T22:03:00.000-07:002011-05-25T22:03:44.255-07:00Our House!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzEUK_bdJZmuEd6hfjp6dj_2OxYCULsFcSG-8SV-bglo19PZKezjsTCziAnIhXRViqVkcqqeA5fj2RLR_oiKA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-5496696573850429102011-05-25T14:01:00.000-07:002011-05-25T17:28:00.686-07:00Questions from Sea Girt Students #3 (Part 2)<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Continued...</span></span></div><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hey PeteMan! How's the weather? I hope that Costa Rica is treating you well. I think that it was fantastic that you were able to visit our small-town school to teach us. If you have any more amazing encounters/pictures feel free to write them down for us to see! I hope that you enjoy your adventures!</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Sincerely, Sea Girt 6th Grade </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">I sure will! </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">I’m also combining this weather question with the next one:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hi Peteman,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thank you for coming to our school we enjoyed it. You were really funny. How is Costa Rica? Is it fun there? Also how is the weather?</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">From</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Charlie 6 grader from Sea Girt </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Right now it is hot ...and I love it. Melana does too, she just doesn’t know it yet. Today it’s not as hot as it’s been, but it is 30°C with 66% humidity. Making today nice and cool. The weather’s not actually too bad, but our house has a tin roof and it gets pretty hot in there, I’d say over 45°C some days. Remember, we don’t have air conditioning and only just bought a fan last week.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hi Peteman,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I wanted to thank you for coming to visit us 6th Graders at Sea Girt Elementry School. I was wondering.....Does it take a lot to tend and care for the farm and animals?</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thanks, </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Nina 6th Grade</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Like taking care of any pet, animals need to be fed, and cared for. The pigs probably take the most work because, unlike the chickens, dogs, cats, horses and cows, they are not allowed to roam around and must be fed and cleaned regularly. Personally, I don’t do too much with the animals, but every once in a while I will help to milk a cow or hop on a horse to move the herd around. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thanks for coming to our school, PeteMan. I have two question for you. First, how is Costa Rica doing for you? Second, you know what's weird? Donald Duck never wore pants. But whenever he got out of the shower, he'd put a towel around his waist. What's up with that? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">I love Costa Rica! </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">You know what’s really weird? Pluto is Micky’s dog but Micky isn’t Pluto’s mouse…. what’s up with THAT?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Dear PeteMan, </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thank you for visiting our school. I just have one question about your job. Where do you think you will go after Costa Rica? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">From, </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Connor, 6th grader</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Has my mom been talking to you? </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">After I finish here, I hope to go and work for one of my mentors, Simon Norton, doing youth programing. Last summer, we worked with teens from the UK, Ireland, Iraq and the US to talk about how young people can make a difference in conflict and post conflict situations. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">I am also looking into experimental forms of classroom techniques to make education more engaging. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">So it looks like education in one way or another is in my future. I hope I get a chance to talk about it with all of you some day! (maybe after I write my thesis)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Whatever I do, I want to make sure that I’m making a positive difference in the lives of young people.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><br />
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</span> </span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Thanks again for all your questions! Also, thank you to those who wrote me Thank-yous! I really appreciate it!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><br />
</span> </span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Coming soon... a tour of my house!</span></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999642976241540800.post-5452275368751575562011-05-25T12:38:00.000-07:002011-05-25T17:26:13.088-07:00Questions from Sea Girt Students #3 (Part 1)<div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Hey, everyone! Thanks so much to the 6th and 7th graders at Sea Girt School for your questions. I really enjoyed speaking with your class and am looking forward to corresponding with you in the future. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">I want to give a special quick note to the 7th graders. Great job with your understanding of microfinance! I think you understood the concept faster than some of the adults that I’ve introduced it to. Any of you think you want to study economics?</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">First off thank you very much for coming to our school and teaching us about economics and stuff, it was very interesting. Also one question do you enjoy skiing or snowboarding?</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Sincerely,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Sea Girt Students </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">I have tried both and am bad at both. I think I like skiing better because after I snowboard I can’t sit down for a week. I’m more of a warm weather kind of guy.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"> ...ouch. It hurts just to think about it. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hey Peteman,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thanks for coming to Sea Girt Elementary School. We learned very much about the Peace Corps and what micro-finance is. The pictures of Arizona is the Grand Canyon. When you were talking about the baby animals, what happens to them after they are born?</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">P.S. The fish feeding at the bottom was fun to use! :D</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Sincerely, Tim </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Most of the babies get sold. Pigs sell very well because they grow to be very big. Piglets sell for about $50-$60.We kept 3 of the piglets to let them grow to use them for making more piglets and pork.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Puppies can be sold for about $20 each because people use them to guard their houses and protect their livestock. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Kittens, calfs and chicks are usually left to grow up. Calfs that grow into cows can be used for milk and to make more calfs before being sold while kittens are kept as pets and chicks are used for eggs and meat. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hi Peteman,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Its Marietta and Paige at Sea Girt Elementary School. We were wondering if you were scared of any type of animals that you see a lot???</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">I REALLY don’t like spiders! That’s pretty much it. I’ve always been afraid of spiders. I just freeze up when I see them. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Melana, however, has a larger repertoire of animals she doesn’t like. Any large insect, snake, spider, centipede, or scorpion will pretty much make her do a panic dance. This means that I find myself in the position of having to remove these critters from the house. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">EDIT: We found a rat in the house and Melana has tasked me with disposing of it. I'll let you know if I ever catch it. I've never seen it but Melana says it's BIG.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hi Peteman,</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thanks for taking time to come teach us about microfinancing. Really interesting stuff. About the pics, were you flying with Peace Corps or commercially? Those pictures are really awesome. We've never seen that clearly out of a plane and seen cool things like mountains and canyons. Thank you again, Sea Girt 7th Graders. </span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Casual;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">I am combining this question with the following:</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Peteman, </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">As i am looking at your photos i am wondering if you were in a normal commercial airplane or you were in a smaller plane that flies lower to the ground? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thank you, chip. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">I’m glad you enjoyed it. I was flying commercially, the pictures I took were out of a Delta issued Boeing 737-800 aircraft. PCVs always fly using commercial US carriers. In an effort to support the economy. In fact, I believe all non-military flights are mandated by congress to be commercial US carriers for all government business. </span></span></span><br />
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</span> </span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">I rarely see that clearly either, which is why I took the pictures! I think it was just a really clear day.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Dear Peteman,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We really enjoyed you time here in our class,we learned a lot and had a splendid experience. Therefore, we wanted to ask you a question. Are the farm babies only born this time of year?</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Sicerely,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Julia & Torey </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Primarily Spring is the time when animals have their babies. They do this so the babies have plenty of time to get strong before the next winter. However, the seasons are different here in Costa Rica. The animals seem to have their babies in the middle of the dry season. That way, as soon as their old enough to fend for themselves, there’s plenty of food at the beginning of the wet season. Because there is really no time of year when there is a uniform food shortage (like winter in temperate climates) babies are born for different species all year round.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Peteman,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thank you for coming into my class and teaching us about what the Peace Corps does. I am doing a project on John F. Kennedy and I was wondering if the Peace Corps gives him and recognition? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Absolutely, it was JFK’s presidential order that created the US Peace Corps. This year marked the 50th anniversary of our organization and, to celebrate we recognized both President Kennedy and Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. who was the driving force behind the creation of the Peace Corps. In fact, Sargent Shriver (as he’s more commonly known) took the model for Peace Corps training from the Experiment in International Living, an organization of World Learning. This is extra important to me because SIT World Learning is also where I’m getting my Master’s degree!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hello Peteman,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Those animals were adorable, especially the pigs! I was wondering if that was you farm or if any of the animals were yours?</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Casual; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Melana has claimed one of the dogs as her own. Other than Lisa (the dog), all of the other animals belong to the family on whose land we live.</span></span></span></div>PeteManhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12102373750270234241noreply@blogger.com0