Absolutely the best way to spend a Sunday, hands-down! The first annual Raft-up was sorta like a neighborhood picnic, except in this neighborhood that means going down to the beach, getting on a bunch of catamarans, sailing off to an even more remote beach, and spending the day swimming, sunning, playing volleyball, and enjoying tunes and a catered buffet. Sa-weeeeeeet!

Thanks to the drill-sargeant organizational skills of Jeff & Carol's friend -- let's call her Sally, names changed to protect the guilty -- we were all assigned to the "good" boat, well-stocked with libations. And in a stroke of genius, Sally had also brought a floating turtle to serve as a beverage caddy! The first Moment of Zen came when Sally's sister Jessica decided to tie the turtle to her ankle and swim ashore from the boat. The rest of us followed with our "noodles," and were most amused when the turtle got flipped over, sending Jessica's sunglasses and several beverages into the sea. The sunglasses were never found again, but thanks to the laws of physics, most of the drinks remained unharmed, with only a slightly salty taste around the rim of the bottle.

The second Moment of Zen occurred when the DJ decided to put on "Low Rider." And of course I couldn't help but start to shake mah groove thang, almost without even realizing it. Suddenly two hotties appear and start dancing with me. Instant dance party on the beach! Life does not suck.

The day ended with a spectacular sunset, marred only slightly by Sally´s completely drunk husband Matt stumbling on deck and almost breaking my toe. And then a lovely dip in the pool back in Casa Maya. Good times, good times! I am blessed to have such fantastic friends in such fantastic places.

Check out the rest of the pics from the raft-up and around Tamarindo in the photo section.