Texas Size
We have continued to poke down the Costa Rico border, finally having made it to Gulfito, the last stop before Panama. As we turned into the large 20 mile wide bay which Gulfito sits in, I pointed out to both Amy and Robert a small sliver of land which ran down the back of a mountain and down to the sea. I told them that that skinny piece of land was Panama.
Amy broke out into the David Lee Roth song, "Panama." She told us she had been waiting an eternity to be able to sing that. Robert quickly learned the words, added his own dance and then modified the tune to "Panama Canal". It appears the crew is excited to be getting closer to Panama.
Since arriving in Costa Rica, we have had the "opportunity" to learn A LOT about various animals and insects.
In one day Amy made a list of "friends" we currently had visiting in our home. A mouse, one brilliant blue/green moth, several small translucent crabs which had crawled up our drain pipe into our bathroom sink, one medium size crab which has taken a liking to our rear swim step locker, and a small gathering of fruit flies in our refrigerator.
Since the census, the mouse has met its match with a mouse trap, after successfully maneuvering 
around 6 large sheets of glue paper we left out for him. The small crabs and fruit flies also were massacred.
Amy took pity on the moth, took its photo, let it hide from the wind all day inside our boat then sent it on its way. The larger crab has yet to be dealt with.
Robert found two friends of interest. One is the large bug Robert is holding in his hands, shown above.
No one knows what it is, but several people have been discouraged to go into the woods, knowing more of them are out there.
The other animal of interest is a huge turtle which shows up near our dock each day at 10:00 am. People toss down fruit and vegetables which he chomps down on with his large jaws.
The turtle measures about 3 feet across and has a preference for bananas, waiting till all bananas have been thrown down before he will eat anything else. Shockingly, cauliflower is the last thing he will touch.
8 Months
Last August we met some wonderful people in Puerto Vallarta. Through the summer and fall we got very close to Fred and Peg on Ogopogo. When we left PV in November, we said our goodbyes, thinking that would be the last we would see of them.
Fate had other plans. We met up with them again about 2 months later further down the Mexican coastline. Unable to shake each other loose, we became the closest of buddy boats and traveled together all through central America and finally to our last port stop in Gulfito.
About a month ago, they took on Brian, who would be their crew member for the much longer trip in front of them. Brian was a long time friend of Fred's, but would quickly become peas in a pod with Robert.
Robert appreciated Brian for teaching him things that no one else would, such as his favorite "The Three Stooges" routines. Robert has perfected the "wise guy" bit, but still working on the snapping part of it.
Robert was excited to be a part of Brian's 59th birthday. Amy surprised him with a carrot cake, which she had bought from a local Mennonite baker. 
The next day Ogopogo departed for an 8-day journey to the Galapagos Islands. Where after their 15 day permit expires and a bit of rest, they will then travel more than 3400 miles over 27 days to the Marquesas Islands.
We had planned to check in each day with each other via our long range Single Side Band radio. However, due to some unexplained interference in the bay, I was unable to make contact starting on just the first morning.
We have since heard from them and they safely arrived in Galapagos Islands on Saturday, having had to motor most of the way due to light winds. They also had their own radio issues so they were not able to transmit.
In 30 minutes) we are leaving for Panama. We should be to the canal in about 10 days,when we will pick up my Mom, Amy's sister Liz and perhaps more of her family. So check back for what other creatures we have found in route. 
Glad to hear you're cleaning up the boat for your upcoming visitors! I'm looking forward to seeing you in nine days and seeing Robert's Three Stooges routines. Never a dull moment!