Hector on the Attack!

Have been missing the Naknek hot tub so decided to visit the pool and hot tubs at Hotel Fonda Vela tonight. Ran into some birders from CA with big lenses who had just arrived and were excited to have already spotted a Quetzal. The hotel is just a short walking distance from the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a favorite hangout for the bird.

This hotel is a pretty cool place. "Throughout the hotel, you'll see paintings by co-owner Paul Smith, who also handcrafts violins and cellos and is a musician himself." Well I wouldn't know about that because I only check out the hot tub area but it sounds nice. But I have noticed that the grounds are beautiful on the walk from the car to the pool. And there are lots of murals. And outdoor sculptures. I might have mentioned this before, but back then I didn't know that the statue I'm sitting next to is of the same guy who was playing the violin in the accordian/violin duet at the Friend's Christmas Program I attended! There is even a blurry picture of the two musicians in a previous blog! Check out the link in the first part of this paragraph to see lots of samples of Paul's work.

 And this is our group getting ready to compete at foozball. BigJohn and I need to practice!

 I noticed artwork in a style that looked familiar in the pool dressing area. BigJohn and I met Sarah Dowell at the Friends' Christmas Potluck and plan on visiting her gallery soon.

 And now the part you've all been waiting for. Hector on the attack! He's finally found an animal he thinks he can take and here it is in the picture below. Really. I took that picture. See the gray off to the right side that looks like it might be a dirty spot on your screen? Yes. That's it.

Yeah. We couldn't figure it out either. As in "What the hell is that?" A rabbit? It looked gray. Have I mentioned that we were walking the trail home in the dark with only a small flashlight to light the path? A possum! Cool! I've never seen a possum before. But no, that's not it. And Hector get back here! He ran off through the forest after whatever it was! What if it had sharp claws?!? Or teeth!?! So here comes Hector trotting back when BigJohn notices another one of whatever it is still standing there next to the trail! And now Hector is chasing this one! But it goes across the trail instead of off into the forest and we finally get a good look at it.

We didn't even know they had armadillos in Costa Rica! And that they moved slow enough for Hector to keep up with them. The second one stopped and acted like it was burying its head in the grass so I had lots of time to get out my camera and take the above picture. Have I mentioned that I was holding Hector in my arms at the time? Well it was more like I was restraining Hector at the time. And that I couldn't remember how to turn my flash back on?

Now I'm wondering if that is what makes all the noise at night when we are walking the path home. A couple of times we have startled something that takes off through the trees just about causing both John and I to suffer a cardiac arrest. So now I'm researching armadillos and will try my best to get a better picture of Hector with one.