With the Spanish vocabulary of a toddler who knows a little about food and backed by my 9-percent fluency ranking with the app DuoLingo, I'm heading south for an artist exchange and reprieve from winter. Thanks to Judith Anthony Johnston and Katrina Methot Swanson, fellow members of the Artists' Cooperative Gallery, and their multiple conversations with Costa Rican artist Elisa Morera, I get to participate in a program to show work in the Sophia Wanamaker Gallery, which is part of cultural center that links North America with Costa Rica. In June, our gallery will host several artists from Costa Rica.

I'm counting on the good will garnered with good manners -- I can easily say 'hello,' 'please' and 'thank-you' -- and the reports of numerous bilingual natives and U.S. expatriates. I expect to have at least occasional Internet access and plan to share a few photos on social media, but I'm really looking forward to sketching and writing as a way to journal about my adventures. My bags are packed, I've got colons in my wallet, and I'm hoping for a "bueno viaje" (good journey). Cheers!