oh sjds, where to begin?

we had heard mixed reviews of san juan del sur and weren't sure what we would think when we got there.  we heard it was quite the party town and that is not my scene at all.  when we arrived, i was pleasantly surprised.  it's a cool mix of surfer, bohemian, and chill while still feeling very nicaraguan.  yes, there are quite a few tourists, but it's not overwhelming.

i fell in love with the place almost instantly.  here's what i love about nicaragua in a nutshell:  there is a strong emphasis on family.  it's laid back.  a strong eco movement is growing there.  it's stunningly beautiful with amazingly friendly and hospitable people.  those people seem to look out for each other.  i felt completely safe.  it felt like a great place to raise a family.  yes, it's a developing country.  yes, it's poor.  however, i think we could learn a lot from nicaragua in terms of life priorities.




the view from our lovely condo at park avenue villas...



we had the amazing privilege of taking a trip with casa el oro to la flor reserve to witness two olive ridley sea turtles laying eggs.  it was a rough hour-long ride to a very secluded beach where only our guide was allowed to even use a red light flashlight.  casa el oro had received an unusual phone call in the morning from the reserve and they were expecting a large turnout of turtles.  we didn't see gazillions, but i was pretty excited to see just two.  rangers there remove the eggs from the original nests when possible and relocate them to a more secure area to protect against egg poachers and natural predators.  it was a little sad to see her work so hard to pack down the nest when she was finished laying her eggs knowing that there was nothing beneath.



our fruitful bounty from playa blanca and sjds's beach.  i'm proud that the shells with the holes made it back home with us.  we sailed to the beach where we found them and had to swim back to the boat with fistfuls of shells.  i found the perfect receptacle- a discarded oil container on the beach and was super proud of my resourcefulness!



seemingly homemade fireworks.  the following images document a procession for a holiday that means the divine child.  i've been researching a bit, but still haven't found the exact significance of the day or the color pink.













ever wonder where old american and canadian school buses retire? nicaragua!  apparently when they still run well they do longer trips between the cities.  when they run a little less well they transport people within cities and towns.  and when they are on their last legs?  they complete the school bus cycle of life and transport children again.  (as told to me by a nicaragua driver.)

adam and i have decided not to accept commissions for 2010 weddings as we will focus on trying to start a family.  we will continue to accept portrait bookings, however.  so definitely contact us for st. louis day after, family, children's, maternity, senior and boudoir photography!

fortunately, there are lots of amazing shooters in town.  here's our short list of folks to check out:

michelle ross of under grace photography

clary pfeiffer

jon koch

kim wade and amy enderle of silverbox photographers (in columbia, but willing to travel)

stephen seward

joanna kleine

nicole welch

after spending a week in granada, we took a ferry over to la isla ometepe, one of the most magical places i've ever been.  here's where i started plotting our eventual move to nicaragua.  :-)  

there are quite a few expats who have been living on ometepe for some years and have started organic farms.  because the island consists of two volcanoes, the soil is very fertile.  unfortunately, locals have been convinced that pesticides and genetically modified crops are the way of the future, so it's taking some convincing to make the transition back to organic agriculture.

ometepe felt like a time warp.  it was an amazing opportunity to see rural life.  i fell in love.

we stayed at totoco eco-lodge.  days were peacefully beautiful.  i finished the book i brought in granada and ran out of reading material.  i whizzed through my mom's nora roberts books on the hammock on our porch. (shhhh.  don't think any less of me, but i totally enjoyed them.)   nights were, um, less peacefully beautiful and choc-a-bloc with critters.  i have a pretty high tolerance for bugs, but not when they are inside the mosquito net, in my way of getting to the bathroom or big and hairy.  we didn't sleep much there, though still tremendously enjoyed our time.  i believe they have a great project going and i hope they continue to grow. 

the grounds are incredible (most of the following images are from totoco).   million dollar views.  i did a great job at living in the present there and in nicaragua, in general, something i usually struggle with.

our casita...



our view for meal times; as delicious as the food.



ojo de agua is an amazing spring-fed swimming area.  the water is beautiful and is a peaceful respite from life.  it is by no means overdeveloped, or even developed really, but they do have a little restaurant and bathroom facilities.

i edited down my 221 image nicaragua slideshow down to 71 blog-worthy images and realized that this is going to require a few installments.  get comfy.  in addition to 18 images for this post, i've also got lots to say.  if you're not in the mood to read, feel free to jump right to photos.

introducing.......................granada, nicaragua, and nearby surrounds.

we rented an amazing house, casa gallo, for the first week.  the staff that manage the property,  granada property services, does a fabulous job.  this house was incredible.  i just spent awhile describing it in detail only to have my blog post inadvertently deleted, so just look at the slideshow and you'll see how awesome it was.

granada is home to beautiful colonial architecture and some delicious restaurants.  you can eat VERY well on about $30/day and can get by on MUCH less.  my favorite restaurants were el tercer ojo, dona conchi's and el zaquan.  granada is also an excellent base to explore lots of amazing places.  here are just a few that we visited:

mombacho volcano
masaya volcano and market
canopy tours
kayaking around the isletas


we did a great hike around the top of mombacho with tierra tour.  it's a cloud forest where the air reminded me of scooby doo fog.  i have never been able to breathe so well in my life.  imagine being in a giant humidifier.

shooting from the hip in granada...

the next two are from the top of la catedral la merced.

these next two are masaya volcano. you can drive right up to the rim. it's amazing.

san juan de oriente is known for its ceramics. i carted around a large vase for the second week of our trip, but it was so worth it.

inside dona conchi's. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

we spent a fabulous saturday evening with natalie and dave at their moto museum reception.  they were married in cabo in may.  the moto museum is a very cool venue with some stark and dramatic lighting and happens to have a delicious restaurant attached- triumph grill. 

do you love natalie's short dress or what?  i totally dig it.  the flowers were incredible- i didn't have a pen handy to write down who did them- natalie can you leave a comment with that info?  dog town allstars did a great job with music.  tnt photobooths and the gelato cart from gelato di riso were also big hits.  guests were invited to have their pictures taken to place in the guestbook with a message- a great idea!

check out the usual favorites below and the slideshow here.

natalie and dave have a super stylish house in south city, so i had to grab a shot of them in their dining room.  we also popped over to the new city garden, the graffiti wall and a quick visit to city museum- heads up on city museum- no more free entry for wedding couples/parties.