Friday five-mile hike and additional frolicking: 6 miles.

~Mom & Dad visiting: day 6, last day~

No real pranks for April Fools today, although later in the afternoon we did have time to enjoy the natural beauty of a warm summer's day. We had a slower start to the day, eating breakfast around 8:00, for Mom and Dad to enjoy their last morning around the CRC campus while I worked in the office and caught up on some business. Mom picked berries with the Holsinger-Yoder boys and then they baked biscuits.

Larry watches Justin pick berries.

Ravi (and Justin in the background) pick berries in our CRC back property.

Mom takes photos of the Holsinger-Yoder boys picking berries.

Dad read and chilled around the center with some of the students. After lunch, I toured Mom and Dad on a walk around the nearby neighborhood, Tirol.

Looking at the mossy trees in the Tirol neighborhood.

Then we hiked further up Monte de la Cruz to show them the view and what all is behind us up our mountain. Larry, the dog who adopted us at the CRC, joined us for the duration of the 1.5 hour hike, which came to a close after about five miles and an approaching thunder and lightning storm and warm raindrops (but thankfully and amazingly no wind!).

Beginning our hike out through the back of Whitworth CRC's property;
Larry accompanied us for the whole 5-miles up and back down!

Calla lilies in the fields and pastures of fincas (farms)
up Monte de la Cruz.

I found a tube of runoff water,
from which I encouraged Larry to drink.

Mom finally found a kitty cat!

View of the CRC as we looked back down the mountain a ways.

On our way back down, we watched the dark clouds roll in
and confront the warm air that had surrounded us all day,
listening to the thunder roll in and watching the lightning flash.

Dad and Larry were twinsies in their black and white shades...

When we returned to the CRC, we found the boys collecting
rusty nails from the driveway, and we sat listening and watching as the
crackling thunderstorm and lightning made its way closer to us.

In the evening, we went down into San Rafael so that I could take them to Bossa Nova, our fav Brazilian restaurant. I called Mauricio, our taxista friend, and we shared lively conversation, translated by yours truly, on our way back up to the CRC. We've spent the night downloading photos, packing, and prepping for Mom and Dad's departure tomorrow, in addition to time I had to spend notifying students about a change in their schedule Canopy (ziplining) tour tomorrow.

It has been a jam-packed week, but good fun and a much-needed break from work. (If only I didn't have to do a ton of catching up now!) They brought me many lovely items from the States (slippers! makeup that's not as expensive as it is in the stores here in CR! an external hard drive!). And they also graciously purchased some things for me while I was here, including many meals, a lovely sun hat and a new scarf! Thanks be to God for parents' pockets that are deeper than those of my lowly post-university volunteer working status!

They head out eeeearly tomorrow (Saturday) morning (we'll be leaving the CRC for the airport shortly after 3:00am), so prayers are appreciated for the following 21 hours they have ahead of them in travel!