Olive Ridley Turtle Release at Las Olas

Hello from Paradise! This was my first attempt at "turtle video". It you listen closely, you will hear me say that the turtles were touching my feet! At that point, I lost control of the camera. Anyway, it was another lovely day at Las Olas. I was pleased that I had survived the drive home Tuesday from Boquete to Las Olas through the heart of a lightening storm. One bolt was so close, I thought I was a goner. When I got to David, I thought again about that FWD SUV I want to purchase. My Kia made it home OK, but it was definitely touch & go through the flooded streets. When I reached my condo, it looked like nothing had happened--no storm, no flooding...there were even pockets of sun. Las Olas/Playa Barqueta is definitely blessed with GREAT WEATHER. I've added a turtle picture in case you can't play the video. Approximately 150 of the baby turtles were released. Sadly, only about 15 of those turtles will survive to maturity & come back to Playa Barqueta to lay their eggs. Maybe it will be one the turtles I held in my hand & released!

Tomorrow I will venture into the mangrove system with friends/neighbors Ken & Sharon (the same woman who did the fabulous stained glass on a previous post). I will borrow one of their plastic kayaks & test the waters for future use of my inflatable Alpacka Raft. We will get on the water 2 hours before low tide so we won't be fighting the river current. Stay tuned & wish me luck. It's reassuring to know that the spectacled caimans (small alligators) are mostly under 5 feet long & don't normally attack anything bigger than they are. Still.....

I'm Back! Did you miss me?

I stopped at my favorite produce stand yesterday and found this beautiful fruit which I had last seen in Hawaii. It is called Lychee (Litchi chinensis) and is native to Southern China. I last experienced this lovely fruit in Hawaii where I paid 50 cents for each fruit. Yesterday I bought a huge tree branch with over 100 attached Lychee fruits for a dollar! According to the Internet, Lychee is very rich in vitamin C and phytonutrients. Speaking of phytonutrients, I had a lovely time visiting friends and family in Washington and California. I even started a new business (check out my website at www.elainejuiceplus.com) that suits me perfectly. I've always been interested in health & nutrition (to the point of being a food Natzi around some of my loved-ones...forgive me!). JuicePlus is basically a whole food supplement that is made from fresh, high quality fruits and vegetables that are juiced then low-temperature dried into a concentrated powder. Now I carry health insurance that ensures I am getting 7 different fruits and 10 different vegetables/grains each day! There has been a ton of research on the effects of taking JuicePlus (it's been sold & studied the past 15 years & is the most thoroughly researched namebrand nutritional procuct on the market today...where have I been?) & the results are fabulous. Basically, JuicePlus delivers key antioxidants/phytonutrients that are absorbed by the body, reduces oxidative stress, helps support a healthy immune system/protects DNA, and positively impacts several key indicators of cardiovascular wellness. Pretty cool stuff!

Anyway, I had a lovely time in Washington where I watched "So You Think You Can Dance" with my Mom, went contra dancing (twice) in Portland (with friends Amy & Carol), Zydico danced with friend Pat Sousa at the Portland Blues Festival, shared an afternoon lunch with my brother Michael, Mom, Uncle Bruce, his partner Lise (who prepared the lunch), Cousins Belinda & Becky, and Aunt Anne and Uncle Tuffy (that's Mom, Michael & me in the picture). I spent a week at a "health retreat" (TrueNorth Health) in Santa Rosa where I met many wonderful people who are all interested in getting off the Standard American Diet (SAD). That's also where I started taking JuicePlus. TrueNorth is actually located right across the street from the Presbyterian church I attended when I was 7! It was very haunting to look inside the church after all those years. While I was in Santa Rosa, I decided to help organize the Santa Rosa High School Class of 1969 40th Reunion. With help from the Internet & people in Santa Rosa, I might actually be able to pull it off! I shared my last meal at TrueNorth Health with my junior high school best friend Jeanne Lieberman and my 11th grade boyfriend Alan Britton. I hadn't seen Jeanne in 28 years or Alan in 20 years (since the 20 year reunion) so it was great to reconnect. Well, I'm off for a bird walk. My friend Louise saw a Laughing Falcon in the mangrove area behind my condo while I was gone... So I must go find him!

Stay Tuned!
Elaine