Don't Cry for Me, Costa Rica!

Our Santa Eulalia neighborhood

Just as we are feeling comfortably settled into our Santa Eulalia neighborhood, we've been hit with a wild pitch: We must return to our home in California! It has been a stressful two weeks since we got the news that the tenant renting our house had broken the lease. On top of that, our property manager said we probably needed to reduce the rent in order to lease it again. Given the small margins we have had between the mortgage and the rental income, we've decided our best course of action is to return to our Pilot Hill ranchette to live for a while as we look for ways to cut our expenses there. If we manage to do that, hopefully we will be able to return to Costa Rica one of these days.

At least it's springtime there so we won't be heading from tropical balmy days to frigid wintry weather. But it's also "springtime" here with many fruits and vegetables coming into season. Our avocado tree in front has bulbous green fruit all over it but they probably won't ripen before we depart on April 11th. Likewise, our mango tree in the backyard has fruit ripening but still too green to pick. 

Avocados about to ripen

Still-green mangos

We have so many mandarinas (like a tangerine), they are falling on the ground in abundance. Even our landlords came over recently to ask if they could pick a few. They filled two big bags and we still have so many I'm beginning to add them to salads just to try and use them.

Sadly, my brand new orchids, which I just bought a few weeks ago, cannot travel with me. I plan to offer them to Seidy (finally, this IS the correct spelling of her name!). She has a yard full of wild orchids of all kinds so I'm sure they''ll have a good home. Likewise, my "kitchen garden" of herbs will be parceled out to friends nearby. Bonnie wants the basil and I'm sure Jackie will take the oregano and rosemary. Hopefully, someone will take the big Aloe Vera plant. Sigh.

Goodbye to my herb garden

Of course, we had planned to go back to the States later this year to see family and friends, as we have every year, so this just pushed those plans forward a bit. We will now have time to deal with some of the "stuff" still in the barn. I worry that between the heat and the moisture that some things of value are being ruined. Long-time readers will recall what a hectic dash out of our home we had to make in December of 2009 when we decided to rent the house and head for Costa Rica. The prospective renters were being pushed out of their home due to a foreclosure. To paraphrase an old saying: Manure rolls downhill, so we had to get out of our house of over 14 years in less than six weeks. A lot of our stuff just ended up in our large storage barn. This return to residency there will give us a chance to clear it out.

We also look forward with joy to the opportunity to spend time with old friends again. Dinner parties with Ruth, chats over the fence with our neighbor Susan, time to drive into San Francisco to see our son Damian and grandson Kai and other friends there. We will make our pilgrimage to Portland to visit family there this summer and on to Spokane to see Layne's son Jess and his family. I will have a chance to fly to Texas and spend some time with my mom.

Still it's a bittersweet pill to have to leave Costa Rica, our adopted homeland that has welcomed us so warmly. As time allows, I'll continue to post reports on our activities as we settle back into life in California. And as circumstances allow, we hope to return to Costa Rica, at least for visits if not for good. Pura Vida!!

Costa Rica Fun, Food and Friendship

Our community of fun and fun things to do just keeps growing here in Santa Eulalia. Nowhere else in our two years in Costa Rica have we lived in a neighborhood in which we found so many kindred spirits, new friends, both Tico and Gringo and entertaining things to see and do around every corner. Even our almost-daily walks offer new vistas in recent days as cornfields and sugarcane fields have been  harvested and left bare, opening up distant views. One day this week we hiked down a side road toward the waterfall, passing empty cane fields that revealed trees standing tall above sheer canyon walls. In the distance we could see Barrio Los Angeles, where we used to live, and even spied our former landlords Odie and Eduardo's red roof.

But today was special for me. I just returned from a truly magical experience: riding a beautiful Paso Fino mare in an arena about a 15-minute walk down the road from us. A shiny bay with a luxurious long black mane and large, dark intelligent eyes, she was spirited, but responsive and obedient and attentive to every shift of my weight in the saddle or slight adjustment on the reins. Controlled only with a rope halter, she easily stopped, backed up, turned and picked up her incredible quick-step Paso gait with only subtle signals from me. That gait is so different from what I'm used to; no posting to the trot, you just sit quietly as the horse moves smoothly beneath your seat. It was an absolute joy to be on horseback again. I was so excited to be riding such an exquisite animal, I forgot all about taking pictures. But Talia looked much like the bay Paso pictured here.

Photo courtesy of ParadisePasoFinos.com

Equally wonderful was the new Tico friend I made in horse owner Francisco, thanks again to our estimado amigo Marcial, who had arranged this ride for me. After watching me ride awhile, Francisco complimented me on my riding skills then announced I could come ride anytime I wanted. Smiling, he said, "this is your house now," basically offering me the opportunity to ride his horse like it was my own. As we talked more, he also invited me join him and some of his friends on a trail ride soon. It is a dream come true for this horselover, as I miss being around horses and especially my own sweet Mojave, rest his horsy soul.

This introductory ride was arranged by Marcial after he had mentioned to me the possibility of my riding in an upcoming "tope" here in Atenas. As I understand it, a tope is a horse parade, usually part of a bigger festival, in which riders come from all over the country to show off their beautiful steeds and prance down the streets of town in colorful traditional finery. A Tico friend of Marcial's was looking for ways to involve some of the Gringo community in Atenas in the planned tope and since Marcial knew I had owned a horse in the United States, he asked if I'd be interested in participating. Would I?!! You bet! Just get me a horse, I said, and I'm there. But I also asked if he thought I could do some riding before the parade to get my "seat" back, and from this conversation came the ride today at Francisco's barn. We feel very lucky to be friends with such good-hearted and generous people.

Last night was another good time, this one a pool party and dinner at Bonnie & Stephen's house just down the hill from the horse barn where I rode today. I threw together a big salad made from organic lettuces, arugula, tomatoes, beets, cucumber, green onion and chili dulce before Layne and I hiked down the road in time for a leisurely swim in their incredible "pool with a view." As Bonnie said while we gazed out over the edge of the pool at the verdant jungle scenery, "I sometimes wonder if I'm at the Beverly Hilton or maybe I just died and this is heaven." It was pretty heavenly and lucky us, Bonnie & Stephen have thrown the door open to us as well, inviting us to use their pool anytime we want. 

Felipe, aspiring photographer

The handsome young Felipe, Marcial and Saedi's 23-year-old son was there, continuing his lessons in photography from the former instructor and accomplished videographer Stephen, as was Bonnie & Stephen's charming Filipino landlord Dave. When Marcial and Saedi joined us at the swimming pool a little later, we all stared in awe as the magnificent full moon rose over the treetops and highlighted the blue water in the pool. We left the periquitos del amor, as we laughingly called the "lovebirds" Marcial and Saedi, to their evening swim as the rest of us headed down to the house for a glass of wine. When they joined us in a while, we enjoyed a dinner of salads, mine and a yummy fruit, black beans, rice and more of that addictive Italian sausage. A most pleasant way to spend an evening!

Oceans of Fun!

Papaya con leche in Playa Jaco

Kai as "Tiger Woods"

Just coming up for air after a couple of very busy weeks -- preparing for the Atenas Charity Chili Cook-off, celebrating our 2nd place victory afterwards then quickly getting final plans in place for a visit from my son Damian and grandson Kai coming in from San Francisco. And of course, the week of their trip was hectic enough with outings to Playa Jaco, Sámara and Hacienda Pinilla in Guanacaste -- much of it in search of "the perfect wave" for Damian's surfing fun. We did find some good waves here and there but never quite as robust as he had hoped. Still it was a very good visit with lots of fun times playing Wii games, from bowling to tennis to Tiger Woods' golf. Like many teenagers, Kai is virtually an expert at most electronic games of skill and he took particular delight in "whuppin'" his grandma. But I didn't mind because it was such a joy to have them around. Kai is still the wonderful sweet child he has always been, loving to us and courteous to all. He even struck up a good friendship with our landlords' son Isaac next door, spending several hours playing soccer with him.

David, Damian, Marc and Eroca

Our first evening's entertainment was a big outdoor dinner party at Marcial and Saedi's house (I've been mis-spelling Saedi's name all this time!). The potluck food was great and Grandpa Layne, followed by the talented Daniel, serenaded the group on guitar. the next day we headed out for the Guanacaste beaches, taking the small Puntareñas - Playa Naranjo ferry across the Gulf of Nicoya, enjoying watching the seagulls flitting around the upper deck to catch crumbs thrown by passengers. Then we drove up the Nicoya Peninsula and across to beautiful Playa Sámara, where we stayed at a comfortable hotel with spectacular views, the Apartotel Mirador de Sámara. The Mirador is situated high up on a hillside and our spacious two-bedroom apartment faced the ocean, providing us some stunning sunset views from our balcony that afternoon. Although the Mirador is not as fancy as some places we have stayed, such as Hacienda Pinilla, it was a good value for the money and would really be an excellent choice for a longer-term stay. In fact, we met two young women from Poland who had stayed there a week earlier in their travels and had now returned for a three-week stint. That's long enough to stock up the kitchen and save money on meals by cooking in the apartment.

Mirador de Samara

Layne and I took a romantic sunset stroll that afternoon along the sweeping half-moon Playa Sámara since it was my birthday, then we all headed out for a festive birthday dinner: a really delicious pizza and red wine. Because we liked the small beach town feel of Sámara, with street vendors selling t-shirts, sundresses and wooden knickknacks and a delightful organic restaurant nearby, Layne and I are considering a return visit for a few nights at the Mirador de Sámara to allow more time to explore the beach and local area.

Birthday dinner

Then it was off to Hacienda Pinilla where we had high hopes for good waves since the Avellanes Beach in front of the elegant Beach Club has a reputation as "Little Hawai'i" and nearby Langosta Beach is likewise well known for surfing. Alas, it was not to be. Not that Damian didn't get in some pretty good surfing but with no Pacific "swell," the waves never got very big. With some lessons from his dad, Kai enjoyed boogie boarding on the smaller waves. Although we had been given a good discount on our suite, the food prices hit our pocketbooks pretty hard so after a couple of days, we were ready to head home for some of my own good cooking.

Nerf-ball in the pool 

Grandpa Layne at the Beach Club

Kai catches a wave!

The rest of the week seemed to whiz by as Damian made a day trip down to Jaco and Playa Hermosa and Kai played with his new friend next door. Before we knew it, the time had come to deliver them back to the airport and turn in the ridiculously overpriced and incredibly small Suzuki Jimmy to Payless Car Rental in Alajuela. A word to the wise: never rent from these guys because the hidden cost is in their daily insurance rate, which was easily twice what most places charge.

As any mother (or grandmother) knows, seeing your child is always a joy and getting to spend these fun days with our family was indeed a blessing which we will long remember and forever treasure.