Dad and Sean: Part 2

 So then we went on a tour of the Isles of Granada, in this little motor boat. Marcos, our driver, knew a guy who knew a guy...

 Sean in the boat soaking up the rays.

 Dad doing the same

 So each island was owned by a rich Nicaraguan and the majority have since changed hands to rich Americans, rich Europeans, and rich Costa Ricans. There is one thing in common....rich.....

 It is really nice scenery though.....

 And a rich veterinarian bought a neighboring island to his house and rehabilitated four monkeys. They are so cute and rather trained; they come for food.

 This family is one example of the beach-front fortress trend.

 One of the basic boats with teenagers and members of the Nicaraguan families who watch or house-sit the fortresses.

 And there's one for sale. Oooooooo quick let's buy it!!

 And we visited the Masaya Volcano. Our driver, Marcos, looking into the sulfurous smoke of the volcano.

 Sean loves being super close to the potentially dangerous and altogether still active volcano.

 Real smoking coming out. Real lava and magma that you can see at the bottom.

 The cross at the top. We couldn't walk up to the top because there had been recent seismic activity elsewhere in the country (darn you San Cristobal!!)

 The boys, both American and Nicaraguan, enjoying the smokey spa treatment.

 And did I get to mention that we had to wear hard hats, like construction ones. Sean loved the style. Dad liked to nap in the back.

 Me with the boys by the volcano.

 There was an old fort a few miles away from the Volcano. Samoza, the evil dictator bad guy, used it in the 70s and early 80s to hold any Sandinistas. He would hold them, torture them, and feed them to tigers and lions at his house or throw their bodies into the volcano. Anybody wondering why the Sandinistas got rid of him. The prison tour ma.de a lasting impression on everyone. The fort is now maintained by the Grenada Boy Scouts and is a popular hangout spot for high schoolers.

 The perimeter of the fort on the top of the hill. You can see the high schoolers hanging out on one of the security posts Masaya and Grenada.

 Dad on the main grounds of the fortress. The holes you see between the main wall and the ground, are the only air and water holes for the prisoners.

 The view from the front of the fort.

And me with Smartypants who woke Sean and me up at around 6AM the following day, so I just let her walk around until she settled by my head. She knows who Mom is.

Sean and Dad: Part 1

 Dad and Sean in the Hotel Cafe in Jinoetga. We stayed there (in yes, the all wood room) watching the Big Bang Theory marathon and taking a day trip to pack up my stuff in site in Cuatro Esquinas.

 View of Jinotegan mountains from the road.

 View of Matagalpa from the road

 First cafe we got to after arriving in Matagalpa and the boys experienced some Matagalpan coffee and smoothies at Cafe Barista.

 Sorry this one is so blurry, but the boys are standing just inside the Cathedral in Matagalpa.

 Sean next to his new ride......no seriously, just standing in the walkway of the Gallo mas Gallo store

 And Sean in front of the Carlos Fonseca museum (which was closed) taking a picture with one of the main men of the Sandinista starter kit.

 The boys impersonating Carlos Fonseca statue in the Central Park.

 The rainbow--can't you see it!?!

 We made it to Granada!!! A little late (because Dad just had to try to get a t-shirt that had the town of Tipitapa on it).

 Sean trying his first hand at feeding the remaining kitten, Smartypants. The other 3 went to members of my community and our driver, Marcos. He's like a pro!

 Except when it comes to having to kidnap the escapee. And Smartypants is smart!! She gets away!!

 But she definitely has a favorite. I felt a little jealous. She preferred snuggling with Sean while he was playing Gameboy. And everybody is happy.

 A happy boy and his Americano breakfast of omlette, bacon, pancakes, and watermelon! In the hotel in Granada.

 The ridiculously large room Sean and I had in Granada!! Like ridiculously large room!!  I think I went through more culture shock coming from my site to this hotel (that had controlled AC and a Jacuzzi!!) than I did from Nicaragua to the States.

 Inside the Cathedral of Granda. You know... the big yellow one that's in all the tour books and pictures.

 Our car...faithful steed that packed more luggage than was it was probably designed to, but we did it.

Yet another church. Dad kept thinking they were churches and cathedrals based on their size, but the yellow one is the cathedral and all the rest are churches.

Pictures of the whole family

I know I didn't have my camera with me when I posted the Menagerie story, so here they are along with some others.....

    

 The kittens, all four, snug as bugs in a rug (or one my bed blanket). This is the day after they opened their eyes and started moving around. Fatso is the big one second from the left, Crybaby is the white and gold one next to him, Suicidal (kept jumping off the bed) is the farthest to the right and Smartypants is the farthest to the left.

 The box of recycled newspapers and magazines the gosh-darn termites got to while I was away in Managua for the last medical visit.

 My other pets, the bats. They were in my house before I got there and I like to think they keep some of the mosquito population down. They are kind of cute and little, and if they could just manage to stop flying RIGHT by my head, we could live in perfect harmony.

 And this is Sombra, the 4 month old puppy I adopted when I got back from my last medical visit. I knew that I was getting more and more discouraged with the little I was able to get done before getting sick again, so I thought I might try at least taking care of some animals to pass the time. I will admit that that was one of my favorite weeks before leaving for the States, just bottle feeding the kittens and training Sombra (Spanish for Shadow) while listening to iTunes podcasts. Oh, and Sombra likes to sleep anywhere....literally anywhere.

She made that box home all by herself. I just added the old piece of blanket. Sombra came from a typical Nica house with no leashes or dog houses, so anything is like the Ritz compared to living on the floor. After washing 3 times with the anti-everything soap, I let her hop up and sleep with me when she started whining during a storm. She fits right under my arm on my single bed.

The watchful guardian. She guards the house and protects it from other dogs and chickens, etc. For the first week, she was super submissive and I couldn't get her to leave the house. I had to yank her around on a leash, then I just carried her in my shoulder bag. After a few days like that, she just doesn't want to leave me, so she follows me everywhere, even to my neighbors' house and the latrine. Devotion.