Health Fair in Atenas

Just quick heads-up for my readers in and around Atenas: Macrobiotica Vida Natural is having a cool little Health Fair this weekend and running through Monday. I stopped by today and picked up a bag of Himalayan Salt, the kind with all the minerals in it. So much salt in Costa Rica has added floride, I was delighted to find this pure product. I was also tempted by a number of other goodies displayed on tables in the plaza outside of the shop. Some folks up from Parrita on the Pacific Coast were there with homemade Austrian bread made of hearty whole wheat, full of sunflower and flax seeds, peanut and oatmeal cookies, alongside homemade organic jams and jellies, some made with sugar cane itself and others using unrefined cane sugar. Also offered were a couple of spicy salsas, one named Salsa Fuego, which I was warned was hot enough to merit its name. Another table offered fresh coffee and green tea, while another was giving away samples of a medicine for arthritis. There was even a beautiful set of stainless steel cookware and utensils on sale but priced a bit beyond my budget. Samples of some of the foods were being given out to visitors.

Seidy and Stefanie greet Health Fair customers

Located in Plaza Central across from El Rayo, Vida Natural is my favorite health food store in Atenas, not only because of the good selection of quality products they offer but also because of the friendly style of the charming proprietress Seidy and her lovely daughter Stefanie, both of whom speak perfect English. My Spanish just doesn't stretch far enough to discuss health care issues and the pros and cons of this skin cream over that one so I greatly appreciate their bilingual abilities.

Seidy has recently enlarged her corner space to make room for new products including organic ginger, chia seeds and fresh herbs, as well as a private room for massage. Her current inventory includes some products I just cannot do without such as low-salt soy sauce, tahini and rice wine vinegar. In addition to the normal vitamins and food supplements, essential oils, face and body creams and lotions, she also sells high quality (glass bottled) extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, jasmine rice, quinoa, tofu, aloe vera drinks and lots more.

The Health Fair will continue all weekend, with a physical therapist present on Sunday and other health care specialists around on Monday. Stop by and tell them Kat sent you!

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," now available for FREE at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

Blame It On Winston!

If I have been delinquent in posting to this blog, it's all Winston's fault. He's just so darned demanding! Always wanting a pet, or a walk or needing to go out to pee or poop (house-training is going very well!) or just looking so cute, I can't resist laying down on the floor and snuggling up to him. Then there are the hilarious puppy moments, such as today when Layne brought home a new toy for him. As soon as he figured out that it was "his," he ran proudly through the house and out into the backyard with a mouth full of plush plaything where he proceeded to thrash the little Santa Claus doll mercilessly, as only a puppy can. 

The new dog Frisbee he's yet to figure out but we have hopes for great fetch games as soon as he understands how to pick the disc up. So doggie duties are my excuse for the delay in blogging, ok? I'm sure all you dog-lovers out there understand completely.

Sit. Stay ... OK, we got Sit.

Then there's the training. Today while Layne went alone to the feria, Winston and I took a walk along a deserted road nearby where we worked on "sit," "stay" and "heel." As you can see from the photo, his "sit" is coming along nicely and he's very good on the leash, although I'm not sure if he has fully grasped the whole "heel" concept or if he just likes walking next to me. "Stay" is another matter altogether. When I tried to lay down the leash to take a better picture, he took that as permission to come over for a pet. After all, he had "sat" for a full thirty seconds, hadn't he?

Of course, he's also required some medical attention this week since he went in for the dreaded neutering on Tuesday. All went well but he was one drunk puppy when he got home that afternoon and one hungover pup the next day. By day two, he was back to his happy little self, especially so since I figured out how to bury his antibiotic pill inside a little chunk of raw hamburger. Oh, baby! Is that good!

He is now officially famous, with people at the feria last week recognizing him on sight and friends driving by hollering "Hey, Winston Churchill!" At the feria, one lady actually was so excited to meet him, she exclaimed to Layne, "Wow, I've met a star today!" Such is the power of the press, I suppose. Next thing you know they'll be asking him for a paw print.

On a completely different topic (who needs a segue?), this beautiful Turquoise-browed Motmot landed in our mandarina tree last week and I hurried to the doorway to sneak a few photos. 

I love these stunning birds and was thrilled to have one in our yard. I'm told that they are called "bobos" by Ticos, which means stupid because they nest near the ground in an earthen bank or a quarry, for instance, where their eggs are an easy target for predators. Whatever their I.Q. may be, they certainly get an A+ on the beauty thing.

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," now available for FREE at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

  

Oh, When the Ants Go Marching In...

When friends from the States ask us about life in Costa Rica with lots of bugs and other tropical creepy-crawlies, we say, hey, we have bugs here that eat the other bugs, so no hay problema! Little did we know just how apt that phrase really was. But if we needed any confirmation, we got it recently when our rancho was literally invaded by ants. Not just a few ants, not just a bunch of ants, but thousands and thousands of ants! And they showed up in no time at all. We had done a load of laundry that morning in the rancho where our washer is located and there had been no sign of ants, just the normal iguana skittering away at our approach. But by mid-afternoon when Layne went out to get the barbeque grill for me, the place was swarming with them, great huge lines of mid-sized brown hormigas, busily trooping along the bottom wall, up the sides, under the cabinet. It was downright spooky!

Since we were uncertain whether to be concerned about this, we turned to our friend and neighbor Marcial, our go-to guy for all things Costa Rican. Even though it was Father's Day, he soon arrived at our gate to take a look. After studying the creatures up close, he assured us they were not only harmless but were actually "cleaning house." According to Marcial, this particular type of ant comes en masse and in the space of a few hours carries away the eggs of other ants, cockroach eggs, dead ants, wasp nest eggs and the larvae of all manner of other unwanted critters. Drawing our attention to one or two which were toting little white balls on their backs, he assured us those were eggs of some undesirable insect. He did say they carry a mean bite so avoid getting stung but he also said they are not out to get you. And sure enough, within a couple of hours, they had disappeared completely. Who knew?

We did have to keep little Winston, our new foster puppy, out of the rancho while the ants did their thing as he seems to relish nibbling on ants. With their reputation for a mean sting, we didn't want him getting a mouthful of those guys. Winston, of course, is getting a reputation of his own; you might even say he's world famous. (After all, this blog has readers in lots of other countries, including Russia, China, Germany, France, Japan, Latvia, Australia, as well as the U.S. and Canada!) This morning as we were breakfasting at Natural restaurant, friends Joni and Mike drove up and immediately recognized Winnie from having read my last blog post with his photo. It's not surprising that he makes friends everywhere he goes. For instance, at VGym this morning, as he was waiting patiently (well, sort of patiently) by the door while we did our workouts, everyone stopped to give him a pet and rave about what a pretty boy he is. Naturally, we agree. In fact, as some friends predicted, we have decided to adopt him. Big surprise, eh? He's just too nice a dog to let go, a real find, we think. We look forward to many joyful years with him in our lives.

With all the attention, Winston was pretty tuckered out by the time we got to Natural for breakfast so he fell dead asleep by Layne's chair while we enjoyed another fabulous meal at this new eating place. If you haven't made your way there yet, you'd better go soon before there's a waiting line to get in. The food is so delicious -- fresh, wholesome, much of it organic and beautifully presented. My new favorite is the House Special fruit, natural yogurt and homemade granola dish. Today I asked for extra granola and then learned just how carefully it is prepared, using coconut oil and honey instead of vegetable oil and sugar. The extra care really shows in everything proprietress Maria prepares. The fact that she herself is so charming and sweet is icing on the cake, so to speak.

By the way, she is looking for a new house to rent, nothing fancy but comfortable enough for her, her two children and her mom. Of course, we hope to find her a place here in Santa Eulalia, but if you know of a nice low-cost Tico home near Atenas with a yard for the kids, please let me know and I'll pass it along to Maria. Or drop in for lunch and tell her yourself!

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," available for only $2.99 at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. Sample or purchase at --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 
  

Going to the Dogs!

The big news around here today is named Winston, or Winnie for short, and he's a Chocolate Lab mix puppy with amazing golden eyes. I saw him at the feria today, offered for adoption by the Animales Abandonadas, a local foundation that works with private foster homes. They called him Tomi but we decided he needed a more distinguished name. (Plus, Layne happens to be reading a book on Winston Churchill at the moment. Thus, the name.)

Introducing Winston 

Winne's only about three months old and has apparently been on the street for a while as he is pretty thin. But for a little guy who has had such a tough start in life, he's very calm and sweet; he just looks up at you shyly and wags his tail hoping for a kind word or pat on the head. Layne and I are only fostering him for now since we have plans to spend a couple of months in the U.S. later this year but we will give him a loving home and some much-needed nourishment while we find him a permanent home. If you've ever thought about getting a dog and if you know the joys of owning a Lab, which are wonderful loving and loyal dogs, please consider adopting Winnie.

Besides trips to the States, Layne and I also feel we should not adopt a dog permanently right now because we are away from home so much, both on local outings with our Santa Eulalia friends as well as trips around Costa Rica exploring the country in my role as a travel writer. Although a dog could certainly join us for our local hikes, it's not so easy to bring one along on our trips to the beach. Most hotels are not very welcoming of pets.

Rancho Coral gardens

As it happens, however, we were at a pet-friendly hotel only last weekend, charming Rancho Coral in Esterillos Oeste, on an outing with our friends Marcial and Seidy and Chris and Sue. But the two-hour bus trip would not have been so pet-friendly; indeed, getting there would have meant renting a car, another drawback for us in dog-ownership. Once we arrived at the beachfront motel owned by Marcial and Seidy's long-time friends, Wilburth and Eva, it was wall-to-wall dogs -- well, maybe only six or eight -- a few cats and lots of chickens as well. So for pet lovers, Rancho Coral is the place to go for a warm animal welcome.

It's a great place for humans as well, especially humans who love playing in the ocean, surfing the waves or just walking on a long empty beach. Rancho Coral is just a few steps from the high-tide mark, its lush gardens strung with hammocks perfect for lazing away an hour or two meditating on the endless rolling surf. Sue and Layne and I took good advantage of those comfortable swinging sofas to enjoy the balmy weather and light breezes. Unfortunately, Sue warned me a moment too late to avoid flipping over backwards onto the sandy ground as I tried to seat myself in my hammock. Nothing was hurt but my pride.

Marcial, Chris, Sue, Seidy and Layne

Later in the afternoon, at the insistence of our strong-minded exercise coach Marcial, we all took off for a long walk down the beach toward the tide pools formed by ancient lava flow and adorned by a fascinating sculpture of a mermaid perched on a concrete base, known as La Sirena or The Siren. With the tide out, she reigns supreme on her dry pedestal and when the tide comes in, she rises above the waters to serve as a sentinel offshore. Taking a rest, we watched some young men kicking a soccer ball around on the shore as the sun began to set in the western skies.

Heading out for a beach stroll

La Sirena

La Sirena and tide pools at low tide

Seidy, looking like a tropical princess 

That evening, we enjoyed a wonderful meal at the hotel prepared by Tomas, one of the family members who run Rancho Coral. Most of us chose grilled snook, with its firm, white flesh, accompanied by vegetables,

A great fish dinner!

rice and tasty little mussels alongside two excellent sauces, one spicy, the other a Thai peanut flavor. We all raved!

It was a short weekend for most everyone, as they all caught the Sunday afternoon bus back to Atenas. But Layne and I decided to hang out one more night to give me my beach "fix." If the weather weren't quite so hot and humid ocean-side, I'd surely choose to live there!

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," available for only $2.99 at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. Sample or purchase at --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

  

Puzzles and Poisons and Pura Vida!

Last week I took a few days off from blogging - or doing much of anything actually - to work a 750-piece puzzle that I picked up a few weeks back from the wonderful free lending library at Kay's Gringo Postre. It turned out to be a tough one, as any dedicated puzzler can tell from these photos, but I was determined. What doesn't show in these pictures are the gold leaf highlights here and there which were an unexpected aid in working the thing as they were quite distinctive in shape and served as a useful guide to where to place a piece.

Enlarged for detail

The word for puzzle in Spanish is rompecabeza, a hilarious term to me because it literally means head-breaker, which is, of course, what a difficult puzzle can feel like it's doing to you. Very early in our sojourn here in Costa Rica, long before my Spanish had progressed very far, we visited a mall where I thought I might find a puzzle to work. I'm semi-retired, after all, I guess I can spend some time doing puzzles. The story of that search became the topic of a blog because it turned into a comical ordeal. Only Layne's creative thinking saved the day and provided me with my first puzzle pleasure in Costa Rica.

Linda and her fabulous Indian dinner

The night before I began this challenging brainteaser we enjoyed a dinner party at our friend Linda's cabina and rancho up in Barrio Mercedes. When we lived in Barrio Los Angeles, Linda was our delightful upstairs neighbor in the duplex apartment we shared. We became good friends, sharing many fun evenings and bottles of her fine wine. With a background in winemaking and a son still in the industry, she knows her wines. She is something of a "snowbird," although her northern trek only takes her as far as California, where the vintner son lives, or Texas to visit her mom. 

Her younger son, daughter-in-law and three grandkids live just up the road from her here in Costa Rica. So for about six months each year she resides here, enjoys being grandma babysitter and still manages to run her business as a construction work headhunter via the Internet and Skype.

Since she will be leaving again soon to avoid the rainy season, Linda had asked us to join her and several other friends for a small dinner party. I was to bring some of Marcial's now-famous sausages to add to the menu of an otherwise Indian feast. Sausages go with anything! We taxied up and found her new place at Villas de La Colina to be a charming 2-bedroom cottage with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. 

View from the rancho

Although I'm not drinking alcohol these days as part of the eczema-cure diet, when Linda brought out some of her top-notch champagne, I couldn't resist. It and the rest of the meal were superb. Along with both spicy and mild sausages, we had mini-samosa appetizers, then hummus, baba ganoush, vegetarian curry, rice and homemade nan. With the misty late afternoon views from the rancho surrounding us, we enjoyed a leisurely meal and pleasant conversation.

Later in the week, I made a poor decision to cook some slightly "off" bacon and paid the price the next couple of days with a mild case of food poisoning. As a result, I'm here at home today still getting my energy back, while Layne and the Santa Eulalia gang are hiking and partying up in San Isidro. Oh well, you can't expect Pura Vida every day! 

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," available for only $2.99 at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. Sample or purchase at --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570