Chef Chris and his "Loco" Hot Wings

July 22, 2013 -- an auspicious date: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to a baby boy, heir to the British throne (poor kid); the Pope arrives in Brazil (yawn); there is a full moon and my Tarot deck worked its magic for me. I was all ready to write a blog, complete with photos, when I discovered that the transfer cable for my camera was not in its storage place. How could that happen when I only use the thing here in my office and always put it back in a small bag full of other cords? Where could it be? I looked high and low literally, on shelves above, in cabinets below. I even called Layne to ask if he had moved it somewhere before leaving on his trip, but he had no clue.

The Six of Wands, Trust

Finally, in an act of metaphysical desperation, I did a Tarot reading on the issue, asking three questions: How did it go missing? Where is it now? And how can I find it? The three cards that came up were mysterious and vague, as Tarot often is, but the last card, the Six of Wands, seemed to offer a clear message: Trust, the card said. Trust the Universe and trust yourself. So... trusting that indeed I do not remove the cable from my office, I came back in here with a fresh eye and almost immediately spied the black cord peeking through a plastic container where I keep bagged spices. I had apparently scooped it up with the herbs when I put them away. As Layne put it, "'Woo' strikes again!"

So lucky for you, I have photos to share of the last outing of the Santa Eulalia gang, plus a couple of new groupies, Joni and Mike, and occasional gang members Darlene and Glynn. Of course, we were missing my darling Layne since he is on an emergency trip to Oregon to help care for his sister Annie, who is struggling with a number of health issues. The toll on family members as they share the load of caring for her reached a limit and they had called asking him to come. He left two days later and will be gone another three weeks, leaving me and Winston to take care of each other.

As you may have deduced from reading our various culinary adventures, the Santa Eulalia gang has 

Chef Chris and his sauces

several excellent chefs among its members, one of whom is Chris, whose cooking skills are top-notch. When he learned that Bar Las Brisas near his and Sue's home had a big grill available, he got the inspiration to treat his local neighbors to some of his Hot Wings and in the process get better acquainted, become a real part of the barrio. But, as these things often do, the idea grew to include the Santa Eulalia bunch and why not throw some of Marcial's sausages on the grill as well.

Chef Chris offered three different homemade sauces: the mild, the picante and the "loco." All were outstanding but I really think they mislabeled the loco. Seidy and I had already agreed that the medium level, the so-called picante, was over-the-top hot. She and I were slugging beer, tequila and ice water to cool our poor burning tongues. How could we possibly stand to taste something even hotter? But when we finally broke down and decided we owed it to ourselves to taste the loco, we found it milder than the medium. Chris assured us that it was just our palates having gotten accustomed to the intense spices, but I... don't... think...so.

Hot Wings comin' up!

But no complaints from this quarter! It was a very fun afternoon with Sue serving plate after plate of the delicious morsels. As Chris and Sue, Stephen and Marcial offered samples of hot wings and Italian sausages to the locals sitting at the bar, I told Marcial he was trying to "go viral" at the barrio level. If Ticos learn how good his sausage is, they will no doubt flock to his booth at the feria.

Two Cute Bald Guys

Joni, Stephen, Bonnie & Mike

Bonnie & Joni share a laugh

All afternoon Las Brisas' dance music inspired our lovebirds Marcial and Seidy to put on a little floorshow for us. Joni and I both took videos of the couple and when she showed her footage to Marcial, he said that was the very first time he had ever seen himself dancing. The wonders of modern technology arrive belatedly in Costa Rica.

Poor Winston had to stay home alone while I was gone and needless to say was overjoyed to see me when I returned about an hour after dark. The next day my landlords/neighbors mentioned that he howled miserably while I was away, so I guess he made his feelings quite clear on the subject of my being gone at night. Since their dogs bark incessantly whenever they leave the house, I'm not too concerned for their sake, only for Winston's. Pura Vida as applied to dogs!

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