Saving the 'Campos Family' Website

So, the posts below are all copied from a website that I created in 2003 using Earthlink's website builder.  This website has been up since 2003.  Since we no longer will be using Earthlink as our email and internet provider, we will most likely be losing that website.  It sure bothered us to know we might lose it so it was a very pleasant surprise to see that we could just copy the whole thing over into this blog - pictures and all!!!.

Having the website was good for the time, but the size limits that Earthlink imposed on pictures, etc. was very restrictive.  The website had been at its size limit for quite some time, so it was nice to discover blogspot.  To be able to spread out, and post as much as we want and as many pictures as we want felt like such freedom!!!  It was actually Rebeca's wedding coordinator who inspired me to switch to blogspot.  She was documenting her first pregnancy and when I saw that, it was an immediate, "Hey, that's the way to go!!!"  :-)  I never looked back at the Earthlink website until realizing that we may lose it and then it became all important to try to save it.

Here it is.  The following posts aren't in any particular kind of order, they were just copied as they appeared on the website.

2006 A Dedication to Clover Page

             The Campos Family 

            A Dedication to Clover

Clover
March 17, 2000 - December 31, 2006
We loved you very much!!!
Clover, a.k.a. Busto, Mamakin, Bubba, Clovey, Cloverina, Cloves, Gordiflona
She wasn't a big dog, but she was fearless, she would take on any dog, any size, at any time. Clover lived every day to the fullest, enjoying everything. She had such a zest for life! She was as sharp as a whip and noticed everything. There was nothing that could slip past her. She didn't like guys much at all, but she loved Jason, Jay, Guillermo, Fernando and John. And, of course, she just adored Rebeca. Rebeca and Jason treated Clover like a princess, and at least we all know that Clover had the absolute best life a dog could ever have. 

2002 Costa Rica Trip

The Campos Family Costa Rica 2002
In December of 2002, we traveled to Costa Rica to visit Fernando.  He was spending a year in Bagaces to assist in a research project on Capuchin Monkeys.  Guillermo flew to San Jose before Rebeca and Vicki since he was off from school before them.  This gave Fernando and him a chance to travel around Costa Rica and see places they had been wanting to see together.  One of those places was Corcovado.  To get to Corcovado, they had to take a boat and and they said it was an awesome trip and really exciting because a HUGE wave crashed over their boat as the boat was landing on the beach.  They had a great time hiking to really remote places there and seeing lots of amazing wildlife.
**************************************************************** Rebeca and Vicki arrived a week later and we all spent Christmas in a wonderful hotel in San Jose called the Costa Verde Inn. ************************************************************************************* The highlight of the trip was going with Fernando out into the field in Lomas Barbudal.  We got up at 4:15am in our hotel in Liberia and at the same time Fernando was getting up in the house that the researchers share in Bagaces.  We were in our predetermined location at 4:45am when Fernando drove up and we followed him the rest of the way to Lomas Barbudal.  Leaving our cars and walking into the forest, in total darkness, with the Howler monkeys calling all around us was a totally unbelievable experience.  We just stared up into the blackness as we walked to the Capuchin sleeping site, knowing that the Howlers were there in the trees above us, yet we couldn't see anything.  We could only hear their incredibly haunting call.  That was something we will definitely never forget!!!!!
********************************************** We were very lucky this day, as the Capuchin monkeys stayed close to the trail most of the morning.  They crossed the river at one point, which we also had to do.  They crossed easily up in the trees whereas we had to scramble on rocks and bushes in the river just to get across.  Rebeca and Vicki fell into the river once, but it was just part of the adventure!!  Watching the monkeys eat, play, threaten us and try to break branches over our heads was so exciting!!  It was also very interesting to watch Fernando and Kristen, another researcher, do their job.  Going out in the field with Fernando was a wonderful experience for us!!!

Rebeca and Fernando hiking in Santa Elena Fernando on suspended canopy bridge in Santa Elena

Enjoying the many beautiful waterfalls

May 2003 - Visiting Mexico City

The Campos Family  Visiting Mexico City - May 2003 Guillermo, Alfredo, Eugene and Charlie drove to Mexico City from San Antonio in May of 2003 to visit their Aunt Otilia and her family.

Alfredo, Charlie and Eugene at the templo de Quetzalcoatl in Teotihuacan                             Alfredo, Hector, Meche, Eugene, Rosi and Guillermo                         Hector, Alfredo, Meche, Eugene, Rosy, Charlie

2004 Ecuador Trip

The Campos Family  Ecuador 2004  Guillermo and Vicki traveled to Ecuador to spend Christmas with Fernando and to see the place where Fernando is working.  Rebeca couldn't go since she had just started a new job.  Guillermo flew to Quito on December 12 and on December 13 he flew to Guayaquil where he met Fernando in Cerro Blanco.  Guillermo went out into the field with Fernando and Zdanna one day and the rest of the time they spent in Guayaquil, trying to get the project's truck repaired.   On December 17, both Fernando and Guillermo took off for places they wanted to see like Cuenca, Cajas and Riobamba.   They enjoyed the incredibly beautiful scenery at each of those places.  They went back to Quito on December 20 and met Vicki at the airport.  The very next day, we all headed back to the airport as we were on our way to the Amazon Jungle!!  The first leg of this adventure was flying from Quito over the Andes Mountains to the little town of Coca at the confluence of the Coca and Napo Rivers.  From Coca, we boarded a motorized canoe for a 2 and a half hour ride down the Napo River to the dock of the Sacha Lodge.  From there it was a 45 minute walk through the jungle where more canoes waited to take us across a lake to where the actual lodge is.  The Sacha Lodge is a great place and we added many "lifer" birds to our lists.  The Amazon jungle was truly amazing and we want to go back one of these days.   After the Amazon, we visited Quito, did a lot of shopping at the incredible markets of Otavalo, visited the Cotopaxi volcano and were really impressed with the beauty of Ecuador.   We also enjoyed going to "La Mitad del Mundo".   It was fun standing right on the Equator line or knowing one of us was standing in the Northern Hemisphere while the other was standing in the Southern Hemisphere.  We got back to San Antonio in time to make it to Dallas to be with Rebeca, who was going to be in Jason's sister's wedding.  We had a very enjoyable time with Rebeca and with Jason's family!  Guillermo in Southern Hemisphere, Fernando in Northern Hemisphere Vicki and Fernando by our cabin at Sacha Lodge in the Amazon Jungle     The Sacha Lodge held a fantastic barbecue on this deck our last night there. Fernando and Zdanna by where they live when they come in from the field. Guillermo and Fernando by the Volcano Cotopaxi.

2003 Thanksgiving

The Campos Family  Thanksgiving 2003  We had a very nice Thanksgiving, with beautiful weather and wonderful company!  Rebeca and Jason came in and Fernando and Eva were here, also.  It doesn't get any better than that!!  Oma, Linda and Jacob, and Kathy, Chris, Mike, Samantha, and Benjamin rounded out the occasion.

Thanks, Jim, for taking this picture!! After dinner, we all just sat around and relaxed! Guillermo, Vicki, Jacob, Rebeca, Fernando, Ben, Eva, Linda, Chris, Mom, Samantha, Kathy, Mike We walked to the end of the ditch next to our house after dinner. Samantha, Rebeca, Linda, Guillermo, Kathy, Jacob, Ben, Vicki, Mom  It was nice having Fernando and Eva with us. Kathy, Samantha, Vicki, Mom, Linda, Rebeca, Guillermo and Jacob.  Ben was riding a bike just out of view of the camera.  Chris was taking the picture. Fernando and Eva were picking up some pictures they were getting developed.  Mike decided to stay at the house and relax.

2003 Europe trip

                   The Campos Family 

 Europe 2003

What a beautiful Christmas we had this year!!  We spent the holidays in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  Our trip started in Leipzig, Germany, where we spent 3 wonderful days visiting with Fernando, staying at his apartment, visiting the Max Planck Institute(where Fernando and Eva worked), attending a Ballet (Der Schwanensee) and getting to know Leipzig a little.  We'll never forget buying a huge tropical plant (wrapped well!) for Fernando's apartment, and carrying it home in a heavy snow storm. 

After Leipzig,  Fernando came with us as we traveled to the Czech Republic and then to Austria.  We enjoyed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe - Salzburg.  Our hotel was on the Linzergasse and how beautiful it was there, with the street and everything all decorated for the Christmas season. 
After Christmas, we drove to Fusch, Austria, where Vicki's Mom is from.  We spent 3 beautiful days there in the mountains and in the snow.  The day we went up to Bad Fusch was a beautiful snowy day and we felt like we were in a winter wonderland as we walked back down to Fusch.  It was the EXACT weather we had been hoping for.
From Fusch, we went to Zell am See where we took a train to Basel, Switzerland and spent a few days with Vicki's brother Andrew.  Guillermo and Vicki welcomed the new year watching fireworks on the banks of the Rhein River.

View from the Pension Hansel and
Gretel, Fusch, Austria

Fernando, Andrew, Oma, Vicki,

Aunt Mirli on the Kapuzinerberg

Fernando, Aunt Elfi and

Guillermo at Uncle Bruno's house

Fernando and Guillermo on the
road to Bad Fusch                     

Fernando on the road to Bad Fusch,

approaching Fusch

Restaurant on the Getreidegasse,

Salzburg

Andrew, Heidi, Fernando, Guillermo,

Vicki, Aunt Mirli, Oma

Dinner with Uncle Bruno

Oma, Vicki, Fernando, Andrew, Aunt Elfi, 
Uncle Hans, Aunt Paula at Uncle Hans house