Man vs. Nature

(James reels in a seamonster)

The boys are back from their Costa Rican fishing expedition. I'm still surprised that James, our Arab engineer, made it through customs having grown darker than a Columbian coffee bean in the Costa Rican sun. Since returning, James has been indulging in laptop slide shows every five minutes, wistfully reliving the moments of his trip. To me, much of it seemed like something straight out of Jaws as some of those sailfish are just plain scary looking.

(< Matt's Mammoth Marlin)

Matt Del, like Hemingway's Santiago, engaged in a fierce test of wills with a 750 lb Marlin. When he finally reeled the behemoth in, rumor has it, he openly wept. This spontaneous release of emotion proves once and for all what most of us already knew -- that beneath his curmudgeonly exterior, Matt is all bunnies and rainbows. I was happy to learn -- with the exception of a dolphin fish which they grilled up and drizzled with olive oil -- the boys let all of the fish go after they caught them.

(The Old Men and the Sea)

It wasn't all fishing, however. The boys dined and cocktailed their way through the week, coloring this exclusive resort community with shades of Weymouth. Last year, Prince Albert of Monaco fished on Mr. Del's boat. This year it was B-Mac and Jimmy, Vince and Sepeck -- a much more entertaining cast of characters if you ask me. And while out of his element culturally -- James thrived. Watching endless hours of Dora the Explorer finally paid off as he was able to use his preschool Spanish to make chit-chat with some high-end Costa Rican hookers.