Yesterday's Outing

A group of quilters from Iowa is visiting our guild at the moment, and yesterday we all went on an outing, including a visit to a farm that grows ferns for export - these are the ones they put behind the carnations and roses in your $20 flower arrangement from FTD:

The ferns are grown under these black net structures. The rest of the property is given over to a nature reserve, which we visited as well.




Then we went down to the city of Cartago to visit the Basilica (see here for another post and more photos of these places.)



Floor tiles:



Then we went to Orosi, which is a scenic valley not far from Cartago. When Dad and I went there last year, we didn't know about the scenic overlook maintained kind of like a public park by the National Institute of Tourism. The entrance is right on the main road, but easy to miss. I think it's safe to say we'll make an effort not to miss it on any future trips in this direction.






And one last picture, taken from the bus on the way back to San José. Costa Rican cemeteries are one of those things I've never gotten used to here. They are almost always above ground, presumably due to geographic and meteorological concerns, but it's the white tile that gets me. Going on 20 years later, I still can't see these without thinking they belong in a bathroom.