The Adventurers went through some classic Halloween traditions today. First, we completed the carved pumpkins that were picked out a few days ago. Then we assembled our costumes, props and attitudes for the night. Then we were off to find trouble candy. Our first stop was to visit Aunt Tara who promptly fed everyone withContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio; Day 10”
Author Archives: brianfjohnston
Leesburg, Ohio; Day 5
Flashback Tuesday for the Adventurers found us looking back at one of our favorite days ziplining in Liberia, Costa Rica. In Ohio we had a school day and started thinking about Halloween plans – it’s sure coming up fast!
Leesburg, Ohio; Day 2
The Adventurers are staying at Tiffany’s mother’s (aka Mamoh’s) house in Leesburg for the weekend. The house sits on a working farm in Southern Ohio. Originally purchased by her grandparents in 1913 with over 100+ acres, Mamoh spent her childhood and the last 25 years here. She has many wonderful stories about growing up inContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio; Day 2”
Georgetown, Ohio; Day 4
Grandma Nancy and Tiffany’s sister Aunt Tracy were pressed into duty as teachers for the kids today. These former teachers were happy to take the kids on a field trip to the historic sites in Georgetown. They went to the boyhood home of former President Ulysses S. Grant and received a tour of the homeContinue reading “Georgetown, Ohio; Day 4”
Georgetown, Ohio; Day 1
Today was a driving day spent mostly in Indiana as we traveled from the Greater Chicago area to the Greater Cincinnati area. We were happy to travel faster than 100 Km per hour (62Mph) which was the upper speed limit in most of the highways in Costa Rica and Panama. The interstate highway system hereContinue reading “Georgetown, Ohio; Day 1”
Lemont, Illinois; Day 2
Sunday at Lori’s house gave the Adventurers plenty of opportunities to play board games and to relax. The day began for the kids in pajamas/nightgowns playing the Game of Life and ended with Monopoly. Between these games were Candyland, Connect4, Battleship, Qbitz and Operation. The kids were in heaven. Despite the time spent on theseContinue reading “Lemont, Illinois; Day 2”
Panama City, Panama; Day 5
Today the 5 Adventurers bid adios to Central America. We have been out of the US since August but it honestly doesn’t feel like 10 weeks. We spent 10+ hours traveling to Milwaukee today, so we don’t have much to describe. There were no hassles with immigration or customs. We had some extra space onContinue reading “Panama City, Panama; Day 5”
Panama City, Panama; Day 4
We spent the day in Casco Viejo which is where our apartment is in Panama City. It is considered the old town of Panamá and was founded in the 16th century. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has been recognized for its historic buildings and as the oldest European settlement on the PacificContinue reading “Panama City, Panama; Day 4”
Panama City, Panama; Day 2
Our big plan to tour the Miraflores locks in the morning was thwarted at the gate by a guard who solemnly informed us that the visitors center was only open Tuesday through Sunday. So no school day for the kids. Instead we went back downtown and visited the Amador Causeway which was quiet but hadContinue reading “Panama City, Panama; Day 2”
Playa Blanca, Panama; Day 2
We were all looking forward to a Saturday without school obligations. We were also looking forward to some combination of pool and beach time (perhaps with a water slide thrown into the mix). Last night we got a sneak peek at the lagoon pool and our impressions were correct – similar to the one byContinue reading “Playa Blanca, Panama; Day 2”
Boquete, Panama; Day 23
When Mom & Dad’s bed looks like this then everyone knows that we are packing up to move on. Today was our 16th school day in Boquete. It was also our last one. Tomorrow, the Adventurers head to a new destination in Panama. Closer to the beach and closer to Panama City where we willContinue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 23”
Boquete, Panama; Day 19
We made today another school day and were planning to do some light chores and errands in the morning. Brian went into town to take the reciclaje and was slightly surprised to run into Sunday traffic rather than a normal school day. The traffic wasn’t the only unusual encounter for him this morning. On theContinue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 19”
Boquete, Panama; Day 18
Aside from the Spanish immersion classes in August, the 5 Adventurers also installed Duo Lingo to their devices to improve their intake of foreign languages. Tiffany and Brian have continued to dabble on the app but prefer the real world to build that language “muscle”. For the kids, however, they go beyond mere dabbling. TheyContinue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 18”
Boquete, Panama; Day 17
As we hit October today it was mostly small administrative Adventures. For one, we are now an official homeschool according to the State of California. Part of the requirement is to send in a form some time between Oct 1 and Oct 15th. Since the timing is not the start of the year and weContinue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 17”
Boquete, Panama; Day 16
TODAY WAS SCHOOL PICTURE DAY!! We’re trying so do some normal things at the 5 Adventures Academy (our name we picked for the school) and what’s more normal than sitting the kids in front of a blue background and snapping a photo for posterity. We’re still on the distribution list for our hometown PTA andContinue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 16”
Boquete, Panama; Day 15
We have mentioned in a prior post or two how our weather in Central America at this time of year seems to provide morning sunshine and afternoon showers. Also mentioned is that we have oriented our school days so that we are indoors and focused on studies in the afternoon so the weather doesn’t interfereContinue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 15”
Boquete, Panama; Day 13
Dad had wanted to get in two 6-day school weeks during our Boquete stay knowing that upcoming travel may make school difficult to deliver. He had thought that this wisdom had prevailed upon all of the other Adventurers when school was held on Saturday but was thwarted by the entire Road School student body whichContinue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 13”
Boquete, Panama; Day 10
Two adventures were noted today. Neither were particularly high on the ‘noteworthy’ scale but are shared with you nonetheless. The first took Brian to the local hardware store to find light bulbs. The rental house is equipped with LED bulbs which are of an intensity and in the color range appropriate for the Cook CountyContinue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 10”
Boquete, Panama; Day 9
Our group went to “downtown” Boquete this morning prior to school. Dad found a charming little coffee shop while Mom took the other kids shopping for something special. She’d seen these bracelets at the shops on Tuesday and decided she wanted some as souvenirs. She let each kid pick one out- Suaram picked the green,Continue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 9”
Boquete, Panama; Day 6
The start of the “road” school week for the kids included the introduction of a writing assignment. The kids were provided some topics and options to prepare and present their work. CreeperPuppy chose to put his work into this travel blog which you can find in the Kids Corner page. We have decided to holdContinue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 6”
Boquete, Panama; Day 3
Tiffany & Brian have wanted to find opportunities to dedicate themselves to the attentions of a single kid at a time. This has been difficult while traveling when we are always together in a common conveyance or accomodation. When Brian’s mom (Busha) comes to visit she will schedule time during her visit for an afternoonContinue reading “Boquete, Panama; Day 3”
Bocas del Toro, Panama; Day 3
We knew that there were beautiful beaches and locations in Panama, especially in this area of the country, so we decided to hire our favorite Bocas driver Julio to take us out to one of them. We had met Julio on our first day in Bocas and appreciated his willingness to meet our version ofContinue reading “Bocas del Toro, Panama; Day 3”
Bocas del Toro, Panama; Day 2
We are staying in Bocas Town which is the most populous location in the entire archipelago of Bocas del Toro. We wanted to take advantage of our central location so today we chartered a boat from town and went on a snorkel safari. Our captain today was Alberto and he took us out to theContinue reading “Bocas del Toro, Panama; Day 2”
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 3
We all enjoyed the horseback riding adventure from a couple weeks ago and wanted to try it again. Perhaps this time on the beach! We had seen some beach riding in Tamarindo but didn’t want to pick some random horses offered to any gringo walking on the beach. Tiffany did some research and we pickedContinue reading “Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 3”
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 1
Today was primarily a travel day as we left Tortuguero by boat and then car for the town of Puerto Viejo on the Southeastern coast. This is our last destination in Costa Rica. It’s reputation is that it has a Caribbean vibe, great beaches, great food and good weather in September, not an insignificant factor.Continue reading “Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica; Day 1”
Tortuguero, Costa Rica; Day 3
We woke up still excited about last night. We watched a Green Turtle lay about 100 eggs in the sand on the beach – That was AMAZING!!! We all agreed one of our favorite parts was watching the turtle go back over the beach to the Sea. She was so heavy and awkward on landContinue reading “Tortuguero, Costa Rica; Day 3”
La Fortuna, Costa Rica; Day 1
We left Monteverde today after another nourishing farm-fresh meal prepared by our hosts and set off for La Fortuna. We also learned that the farm gained a new calf overnight so everyone was cheery this morning. This was a 3 hour drive over winding roads (both paved and unpaved). The weather was pleasant enough forContinue reading “La Fortuna, Costa Rica; Day 1”
Monteverde, Costa Rica; Day 1
Today we went from sea level at the beach to 1500 meters (~5000 feet) elevation in the Cordillero de Tilarán mountain range. The area is named Monteverde and regularly draws tourists from all over the world visiting the Cloud Forest. This is a unique landscape that only exists in tropical areas with tall mountains andContinue reading “Monteverde, Costa Rica; Day 1”
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 5
We thought that we would drive down to Tamarindo to see how a Costa Rican surf town compares to the surf in our beloved home town in CA. As we talked about the beach, CreeperKitty pointed out if we walked north and kept going for a long time, we’d find ourselves at San Clemente PierContinue reading “Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 5”
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 2
We found this lovely resort as part of an exchange for a timeshare we’ve owned for 15 years. We’re sure many people enjoy having a timeshare and get great value from it. We are not those people. We are the timeshare people that pay our maintenance fees, pay to deposit the week in an exchangeContinue reading “Playa del Coco, Costa Rica; Day 2”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 16
We have been looking forward to today’s adventures for several days. This outing was our reward for finishing the Spanish language school after two long weeks. Today was also our last full day in Liberia. Tomorrow, we move on to la playa! We awoke early and made it to our destination shortly after 9. OurContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 16”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 13
The Pan-American Highway runs for 24,140 kilometers (15,000 miles). Guinness World Records considers this to be the longest ‘motorable’ road on Earth. At the south it starts in Argentina and ends in northern Alaska. It’s been featured in at least two reality shows – The Kindness Diaries on Netflix (which is how we got introducedContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 13”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 12
Before escuela we had an adventure at a waterfall this morning. It’s the Catarata LLanos de Cortes about 25 minutes from Liberia. It’s a popular stop for tours going through the area but we navigated ourselves there shortly after breakfast. We’re very glad we did. This was a beautiful spot where three distinct falls occurContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 12”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 9
Today wasn’t a school day so we packed a picnic lunch and headed out for new adventures. We visited a historic location in the Guanacasta province in the Santa Rosa National Park. This National Park has two important components. One, it protects a unique ecosystem which is considered a ‘dry’ tropical forest (bosque tropical seco).Continue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 9”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 5
We posted a bit about the lack of a dryer and the existence of a semi-automatic clothes washer during a post yesterday. We should also note that we are using child labor to the maximum extent allowable. This kid also pulled duty at the dishes tonight while his siblings provided maximum support. No great adventuresContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 5”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 4
This afternoon was back-to-school for the 5 of us as we have enrolled in the Instituto Estelar Bilingüe to immerse ourselves in a new language. It’s five days a week for four hours a day this week and next – all in Spanish. This is our primary reason for staying in Liberia for two weeksContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 4”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 2
Although we awoke early today, it was truly amazing to languish without a need to rise until the craving for huevos and café was too strong to ignore. The rented house has a coffee maker but Brian’s inexperience with it created a very strong pot (which wasn’t the worst thing since we pefer adding lecheContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 2”
Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 1
The big day arrived!! After years of saving, months of planning, a global pandemic that still isn’t over, and 5000 miles in the car – we took our adventures international! This was primarily a travel day. After a 6:15am wake up, sad little grab-and-go breakfast from the La Quinta, hotel shuttle, airport shuttle to theContinue reading “Liberia, Costa Rica; Day 1”
West Allis, Wisconsin; Day 3
We left Wisconsin today for an overnight stop in Atlanta before going to Central America on Friday. We arrived at the airport in time to try on the latest in Cheesehead fashion. Thank you Aunt Kathy & Uncle Henry! We loved our time with you in August and cannot wait to share our stories whenContinue reading “West Allis, Wisconsin; Day 3”
West Allis, Wisonsin; Day 2
We had two noteworthy adventures today on our last full day before departing Wisconsin. We visited Old World Wisconsin which has reproduced or restored 60 buildings from the period between 1840 and 1910. They have guided tours led by knowledgeable historians who convey the experience of living in Wisconsin in the 19th century. The kidsContinue reading “West Allis, Wisonsin; Day 2”
Edina, Minnesota
Although today was primarily a driving day, we were able to meet with Tiffany’s cousin Matt for a breakfast in Edina, Minnesota. We met his fiancée Stephanie and caught up with their lives. They have had their 2020 wedding plans upended by you-know-what so it was interesting to hear about their deliberations for tying theContinue reading “Edina, Minnesota”
Blaine, Minnesota
Today we confirmed that when our family has fully un-packed and stays in one place for a while it takes Brian and Tiffany two hours to re-pack Jeremy Picklepants with all our belongings. That sounds like a lot, but it’s only 24 minutes per person so it’s not too bad. Or at least that’s whatContinue reading “Blaine, Minnesota”
Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 7
Our last full day Madden’s for 2021 was full of banana taxi, pool time and cramming in some final in person conversations with family we don’t see often enough. It was a continued mixture of old traditions and new activities. Tonight all the Adventurers and cousin Alan played several rounds of the online game AmongContinue reading “Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 7”
Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 6
Friday was bonus adventures for our crew in Baxter, Minnesota. We learned a few things about ourselves that were noteworthy. Tiffany learned that there IS a limit for the number of times the teenage cousins would ride in the go-karts. (The answer is three). Suaram learned how many consecutive backflips can be performed before dizzinessContinue reading “Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 6”
Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 5
Our day began with a small family celebration for our youngest member who celebrated his eighth trip around the sun today. Per tradition he first opened a birthday shirt (Minecraft-themed, glows in the dark, high marks from the sibs). Tiffany had an early adventure to finally visit the dentist. It turns out the Bit-O-Honey fromContinue reading “Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 5”
Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 4
It was a bit of a typical wash, rinse, repeat day for our 5 Adventurers at Madden’s Resort. The threat of afternoon showers wasn’t realized and we all had outdoor adventures today. Suaram spent about 2 hours on the inflatables in the lake. She has perfected the jump off the side of the slide inflatableContinue reading “Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 4”
Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 3
After dropping the kids off with their cousins for another hour or two of banana taxi rides, Tiffany and Brian headed to Baxter, Minnesota for another vaccination adventure. Once again, we were met with yet ANOTHER pharmacist who is kind, thoughtful and helpful to us in our quest of vaccinations for overseas travel. Some ofContinue reading “Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 3”
Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 1
We arrived this afternoon at Madden’s Resort in Gull Lake, Minnesota for a seven night stay. Brian’s family have been coming to this charming lakeside resort since the 80’s. More recently, his mom (Busha) and step-father (Mike) have convinced their kids to come back to Madden’s every other year for a reunion of siblings andContinue reading “Gull Lake, Minnesota; Day 1”
Driving Day to Fargo, North Dakota
Today was a driving day with our “new” minivan demonstrating that cross-country travel doesn’t necessarily demand white knuckles on the steering wheel and perspiration on the forehead. We have come close to finalizing a name for the new car but will unveil that on another day (lobbying between the Adventurers continues). Most of the dayContinue reading “Driving Day to Fargo, North Dakota”
Wall & Badlands, South Dakota
Today was a bit unusual. After a stop-and-start in Rapid City, including a 3 hour detour to the Toyota dealership (see Car Adventure Update #3 for more) our 5 Adventurers hit the road. First, we went to Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota. This is the original tourist “trap”. They have been serving free iceContinue reading “Wall & Badlands, South Dakota”
5 Adventures Together 