You’re invited to our Annual Winter Coffee party and Travel Show on Friday Feb., 18, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Come join our travelers at the Senior Center for hot coffee, goodies, drawings and a calendar of the trips already planned for 2011 along with early sign-ups.

You don’t need to be a member. Join your friends, perhaps share travel stories.

Here is another reminder for our overnight trip to Waterloo, Iowa, and the Isle Casino on April 7-8. Information will be available at the Feb. 18 coffee party and after.

After recently returning from our winter get-a-way to Costa Rica I will be sharing with you our tour in the next couple of columns.

Costa Rica offered lush forests and endless, stunning coastlines and volcanoes and is often considered to be the birthplace of ecotourism.

We departed from Minneapolis on a -20 degree morning and we landed in 80 degrees in San Jose. One member of our group said, “It was indescribable.”

Our native guide, Jose, met us at the airport and was with us until we departed. We were shuttled by motor coach and our first impressions of Costa Rica was, it is springtime.

Our first night’s lodging was an indication of things to come. We had pool-side rooms and outdoor huts surrounded the warm pool area, with open air restaurants. It was a total reality change for us from the Midwest.

Oldemar, our local motor coach driver new the area well, taking us on many roads, and we were content to sit back and enjoy the scenery.

Our first full day we visited the Daka Coffee Plantation north of San Jose.

We learned much about the growth and process of making coffee during a walk through with a family of growers.

Many locals find work during the harvest of coffee beans.

It was interesting to learn that the coffee beans are sent to Germany to take out the caffeine, and in turn sell the caffeine to soft drink companies. They are the No. 2 producer of coffee in the world, with Brazil being the largest.

We sampled the first year’s crop, considered the richest and most fully blended.

Our adventure is off to a great start, we are anxiously awaiting each new stop.

Next week I will continue to share what our group experienced.