Learning how to shrink a head in Ecuador

Gruesome but true - this is an actual shrunken head, along with instructions. Although this hasn't been done for hundreds of years, the indigenous people felt this was a way to capture the soul of either your loved ones or your enemies. Did you know that your closed fist represents the size of your own shrunken head?

Zip lines at Monteverde cloud forest, Costa Rica

The longest zip line canopy tour in Costa Rica took us through 2 miles of cable with 18 platforms through the cloud forests. We gave our best Tarzan yells!

Here we are, a little muddy, with Jack Haggerty, who was in pilot training with Mike and just retired as a FedEx/Flying Tiger captain.

Costa Rica Wildlife

Ay carumba! Now that's a big bug eating the banana - a little bigger, and we might call him dinner, huh?

The monkey was one of six we spotted in some high trees chattering away. There are 650 species of flora and fauna in Costa Rica per 10,000 kilometers as compared to about 100 in the US. They don't bother too much with the whole zoo thing... you just look outside!

Rappelling in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

What a fantastic adventure with Pure Trek Canyoning in La Fortuna, Costa Rica - rappelling down 4 different waterfalls. The longest was 195 feet and the water was warm. It's lush and tropical, but not too hot.

Skiing at Snoqualmie

Now that we've moved, this is less than an hour from our condo - sweet! Nice little warm up, since we haven't skied in a year. The elevation here is low at about 4,000 ft. but cold enough for some good snow!

Golfing in Scottsdale

Ouch - can you believe they put not only a huge boulder but a prickly pear cactus in the sand trap? Evil, evil golf course designers - they probably pull wings off butterflies, too. This is Boulders Resort in Carefree, AZ just north of Scottsdale. A great course!

Horseback riding in Airzona

From the left...cowboy Mike, sister Kathy, Sue and neice Kara. Luckily we avoided all cacti!