This is not Joe. Surfing and more in Nicaragua.

This is not actually Joe surfing ...

 
Long time no blog.  
I took some time to get caught up on things at home after being gone to South America for three months for a trip that was ... one of a kind.  

But, hey, back on the road now.  This time we have returned to Nicaragua for another visit with our son TK and his wife Jenny.  They live on a homestead near the south coast of Nicaragua, near a town called San Juan del Sur.   We've been here a few times before .  

Fiona is not with me on this trip.  She is holding down the fort at home, and helping with the little grand ones.  I am traveling with my nephew Joe, TK's cousin.  It's his first time here.

We've had some interesting weather so far.  The night we got here it rained like I've never seen before, buckets all night.  Must have been three inches of rain in one night. It's currently the rainy season, so this is not unusual other than the vast amount of water coming out of the sky that night.  More than usual.  

But what that means - other than flood and mud - is that this place explodes in green.  It's basically a tropical jungle during the rain.  Which for TK means that it's a real challenge to keep up with the farm where they live.  You can almost watch stuff grow, seems like a foot a day for some plants.  You can cut the green back and four days later, you need to do it again.  

Yesterday we went surfing, or rather cousin Joe did.  The surf here is pretty lively, Nicaragua is known as a surfing destination, and there were some good surfers out there ... and there was Joe.  He did his best in the very robust surf conditions, but eventually paddled to shore, exhausted.  He said (and I quote) -  "kinda got my butt kicked out there!"

I posted a picture at the top of this blog, but it's not Joe.  In fact, I'm not sure this is a real picture ... well let's just say, it is quite spectacular!  But it looked too good to pass up!

There is a big celebration in this town this weekend, the fiesta of San Juan, the patron saint of the place.  It promises to be lively, and one of the centerpiece activities is a contest: climbing the greased pole.  Sounds interesting.  

There was a even brass band parade yesterday. That's San Juan (Saint John) waving from the back of the truck.

The weather is a  bit more normal today, hot and sunny and humid.  There is a lot to see and do around here, like climbing the hill above town to the Jesus statue.  It's a steep hill and Joe looked like he was going crooked on the road!

And there are a lot of insects around here, with some really cool butterflies.