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| My amazing new orchid! |
Boy, have I been crazy busy since we returned to Costa Rica
one short month ago! When we arrived back from a two-month visit to the States,
there were the inevitable reunions with friends like Marcial and Seidy, who brought
me a gorgeous orchid as a welcoming gift when we resumed our regular Friday
night dinners. Then there were health issues with our dog Winston --
non-contagious mange, which required weekly shots and time-consuming baths as
well as daily cream applications, plus conjunctivitis in one eye, which meant
applying drops 2 to 3 times a day. Fortunately, he is recovering nicely and
requires less medical care now.
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| Lighted Bomberos' (firefighters) trucks in the parade |
Within a week of our return, we found ourselves hosting
Thanksgiving dinner for ten people, which was a wonderful celebration but a lot
of work for Yours Truly. Almost as soon as the plates were cleared from that
party, we were preparing for the visit of a very dear friend, Philisse, who had
planned her trip to coincide with Layne's big 75th birthday week. To introduce
her to a taste of our lives here, we took her into town the very first night
for the Atenas Festival of Lights, where she enjoyed the parade and the
colorful array of Ticos, children and vendors in the park.
That Sunday afternoon brought together some two dozen
friends to celebrate Layne's birthday, a festive pool party at Bonnie &
Stephen's place, complete with a yummy carrot cake baked by Jan & Tom of
Buen
Pan and lots of delicious food from
everyone. Toward the end of the day, Layne offered up hilarious (if slightly
inebriated) entertainment by singing a rollicking version of "Pecos
Bill" to Daniel's guitar accompaniment. Philisse enjoyed meeting our
friends and began to understand why we love our life here so much.
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| The gang at the pool |
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| Philisse and Layne are all smiles! |
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| Even Nelson, our taxista, and his family were there |
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| Layne blows out his one big candle as Tom looks on |
But the busy times were really just beginning. The very next
day Layne, Philisse and I - plus Winston! - were off to Esterillos Oeste for a
two-night stay at
Rancho Coral, that cozy, pet-friendly beachfront hotel run by
our friends Wilburth and Eva. There things slowed down just a bit as we laid
out in beach chairs just yards from the surf, took strolls along the sand and
watched Winston play with the other dogs.
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| Winston, Layne and Philisse enjoy the beach |
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| Winston, the Wonder Dog, enjoys dinner with friends |
We even found a pet-friendly
restaurant, Los Almendros, where we enjoyed some excellent Caribbean and
Thai-style seafood while Winnie snoozed quietly beneath our table. The
proprietress has promised to send me her recipe for Fish Cakes with Red Pepper
Sauce. It was outstanding!
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| Layne and Philisse at Casa Inspiración |
But with the dawning of the third day, we were heading back
to Atenas just long enough to unpack, re-pack, drop Winston off with our
long-suffering dog-sitter friends Chris and Sue and leave the next day for the
cloud forests of Monteverde. There we stayed at our friends Veronica and Alex's charming vacation rental,
Casa Inspiración,
a rustic cabin perched on the side of the mountain with views across to the
Gulf of Nicoya. Quite a stunning setting with quiet, peaceful gardens and a
friendly dog Schnookie to keep us company.
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| Sunset at Casa Inspiración |
Alex and his surprisingly mature
young son Stuart greeted us with delicious bocas prepared by a Tica neighbor
Gisell and her lovely daughter.
The next day Philisse and I were off to
Sky Adventures for
a bird's-eye view of the cloud forest on the Sky Tram. With blue skies as a
backdrop and a strong wind whipping our hair, we savored the slow ride up to
the top of Costa Rica's Continental Divide, to about 5800' elevation. Our guide
Daniel said the winds were probably around 80 kph, or some 50 mph, and it felt
like it! But the tram was stable and secure and we soon hopped out onto the
observation platform to take a leisurely look at the dramatic scenery,
including a glimpse of Arenal Volcano and distant Lake Arenal. After our return
to the lower level, Daniel invited us to take a walk through their Hummingbird Trail,
where many exotic species of the little aviators abound along with a number of
stunning trees, plants and flowers, including some tiny orchid species that
would have gone unnoticed but for Daniel's commentary.
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| Amazing views from the Sky Tram |
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| Philisse on the observation platform |
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| Such beautiful flowers! |
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| Such vivid colors! |
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| Philisse shoots a "Hot Lips" flower |
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| Daniel poses with "Elephant Ears" |
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| Philisse goes for just one more photo! |
And yet again, it was soon time to leave Monteverde and
return to Atenas for Philisse's final few days with us. We had such a great
time showing off our beloved Costa Rica to our old friend. We can only hope
that she had as good a time as we did, and that now she understands what we
mean when we say: Pura Vida!
Check out Layne's novel "Moral Turpitude," Kindle edition now available for only $4.99 at Amazon.com. Five star reviews! 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 -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HI25M1K/
