Talk about flowers! Bill and I are now in Costa Rica and marveling at the tropical flowers. I'm photographing some that I hope to incorporate in paintings in the future. Last evening the parents of a local student hosted us at their home for dinner. Their garden had a huge plant with counteless orchids cascading down. One cluster about six feet across displayed "A ves de Paraiso" (Birds of Paradise)--so dramatic.

We are here to volunteer on an Earthwatch project--"Coffee From Community to Cup," and we've learned so much. We are working on two coffee farms that belong to a cooperative. Most their coffee is sold to Starbucks, one of the sponsors of this project. We're assisting in research to help the farms be more sustainable and environmentally friendly. One of our tasks is to trap insects that pollinate the plants...bees, wasps, spiders, ants, moths. We trap them in the coffee fields, which are planted in a steep mountainous area, and bring them back to the lab to sort and identify. We did a smilar project in Bordeaux, France last year--only the plants were grape vines in vineyards--a whole new world.

I've volunteered on 21 Earthwatch projects all over the world, and each time gained knowledge and friends, and feel they have enhanced my life.

I'll soon return to Cleveland, and my class, and another blog soon.

Gayle Bauer