Costa Rican Turtles: Trials and Tributes

Well, I am quite delinquent in my posting schedule, with more than a week having gone by without a report here. But it’s hard to write when one is dealing with sad personal issues. For me that included the tragic news that a dear family member is facing terminal cancer and is now counting her weeks here on earth. She has good friends and family to help her and is still enjoying some of her favorite things but hers is a poor prognosis. My heart is heavy indeed when I think of losing her.

About the same time, I began facing a tough decision of my own: It may be time to put my elderly Morgan horse down. His aches and pains are much worse during the California winter when the cold wind, rain and sometimes snow add to his discomfort. In spite of all the expensive medicines he takes and the good care he receives in his retirement home, the truth is he is not as mobile as such a magnificent creature deserves to be. For an animal whose joy in life depends on mobility, it is unkind to keep him alive, only able to walk slowly, not trot or gallop around the pasture on strong legs. So I’m heading to California soon to make that hard decision in person. He deserves no less from me after all the wonderful miles we’ve shared and the more than 23 years he’s been a part of my life.

So forgive me if I’m less than my typical upbeat self. It’s a sad season in spite of the sunshine and the holiday cheer all around here.

But we have had some fun times, including the Atenas Art Show and Auction on December 4^th and 5^th. Part of the profits from sales of the artwork were to benefit a local Tortuga Leatherback conservation program, an important effort here in Costa Rica as development has intruded on turtle nesting areas and poachers and predators cut into the survival rate of newborns. Estacion Las Tortugas is located on an undeveloped stretch of the Caribbean Coast. There, under the guidance of founder Stanley Rodriguez, staff and volunteers work to prevent the extinction of these magnificent creatures, the largest reptiles remaining on earth. Scientists predict the species could be extinct in less than three decades if poaching, long-line fishing, development and pollution continue unabated. A local artist and art teacher, Mary Parks, had created a striking picture featuring an underwater scene with a large Leatherback in the center, which was to be auctioned off with proceeds to go to Estacion Las Tortugas.

Included on the event schedule was an artists’ reception for Saturday evening, featuring the wines of our favorite importer Shannon, whose delicious Argentinean products were offered at our own little wine-tasting event a few weeks ago. Layne and I had wanted to find some traditional-style Costa Rican art to liven up the décor in our apartment so the reception seemed like the perfect opportunity to shop for local art, enjoy some wine and cheese and do our part to help the Tortuga program.

Our beautiful painting, entitled "Atardecer" or "Sunset"

And we were not disappointed. Not only were there dozens of attractive watercolors, oils, sculptures, photographs, lampshades and garden art by local artists, many of them students of Ms. Parks, but also we met a local young artist whose vibrant colorful scenes of Costa Rican life were exactly what we had been hoping to find. And since Layne’s birthday was coming up the following Friday, we invested in a painting that adds so much to our home.

 "Casa Frente al Lago" or "House in Front of the Lake"  

Darwin and Kat

Only 19-years-old, with the unlikely name of Darwin Romero, this young artist should have a bright future. His work features the exotic wildlife and flora of Costa Rica, from macaws, parrots and chickens to orchids and coffee fields. The brushwork is meticulous in detail, stunning in deep rich colors and innovative in the use of local materials. Our upstairs neighbor Linda bought a large painting in which Darwin had utilized sand, coffee beans and even eggshells to create a three-dimensional effect. Just stunning! Darwin’s older brother Jose, who spoke good English and served as salesman for the collection, said the young man had only been painting for five years. If he enjoyed good sales at this event, proving he could make money with his art, Jose he felt that their mother would allow Darwin to attend an art school in San Jose. We hope our purchases encourage her to permit him to study art and we certainly wish him the best of luck!

(For larger images, click on the photo.)

A Gringo Thanksgiving in Costa Rica

What a week! Starting with a wine tasting party, followed by two major shopping trips into San Jose and Santa Ana in preparation for overnight guests and the big Thanksgiving meal, then a second dinner party on Friday night, the departure of our company and a day of extensive cleanup yesterday. Whew! What happened to that tranquilo life we so enjoy?

Our upstairs neighbor Linda and I had been planning the wine tasting for several weeks, timing it for when her friend Barb was still here. Back in California Barb is a “wine educator,” teaching winery visitors which foods to serve with which wines. Linda herself worked in a winery in the Napa Valley, which is how the two met some years ago. In addition, Linda’s son is a vintner in Napa so these women bring a wealth of experience and knowledge when it comes to good wines.

Linda, Shannon and Yours Truly 

Linda and I had become acquainted with wine importer Shannon and her partner Keith at the food festival back in early October, where they had offered samples of their Argentinean wines. It was there we learned that if we provided the hors d’oeuvres and invited about a dozen people, they would bring wines for our guests to taste, in the hope, of course, that they might sell some of their product. After hours of deliberation, the food choices were made, with me preparing Caesar Dip with Crudités, organic goat cheese with basil on French bread and mildly spiced chipotle chicken cubes. Linda contributed ginger-soy grilled tuna and a fabulous chocolate cake while Barb came up with a delicious roasted red pepper Focaccia pizza. It sounds like a lot of food but it was all in bite-size pieces to go with each of the lovely wines that Shannon had brought. With a full moon shining across the swimming pool and our friends nibbling, drinking and socializing in the rancho, the event was a festive success. The hardest part was limiting our guest list to only 12 people; it’s amazing how many friends we have made in our short time here in Atenas.

One of those new friends is Jeannette, whom we met through our landlady Odie. A Canadian, Jeannette first met Odie and Eduardo just as we have: as a tenant. She rented an apartment from them when they still lived in San Jose and later bought the house she lives in here in Atenas from them. With company coming to spend a night, Layne and I were getting desperate to locate a few items for their comfort. In particular, we needed a Shoji screen to create a passageway through our bedroom to the one bathroom at night. None of the stores in Atenas had such a product but Jeannette thought that she knew of one in San Jose that might. We also needed twin size sheets for the foam pads, which would serve as our guest beds on the living room floor, and I had been hankering for a few kitchen items. So on Monday off we went in Jeannette’s car to Yamoni, a large upscale department store in San Jose, where we found the perfect screen at a bargain price. The screen barely fit into Jeannette’s small Chevy Tracker, but by leaning it over my head forcing me to hunker down in the front seat, we managed, then headed to PriceSmart for the rest of our shopping. PriceSmart is a Costco-type membership store which features bulk items in a warehouse environment. Layne and I bought a $30 membership so we can benefit from the good prices on things like paper towels, laundry detergent, olive oil and such. We squeezed all the bags in the back of the car but decided there was no room for any further shopping that day. On Wednesday, however, we once again drove with Jeannette to AutoMercado, a large grocery store for the last of our holiday supplies.

The new Shoji screen

Of course, Thanksgiving is not a tradition here in Costa Rica. Ticos have no history of Native Americans and Pilgrims sharing a meal, or of roasted turkey with all the trimmings and pumpkin pie. In fact, Layne and I were worried that we would be unable to even find a turkey locally but with the large expat population here in Atenas, some stores cater to the Gringo community by offering imported turkeys and other ingredients needed for the holiday. Americans who live here seem to find ways to celebrate our holidays even as we enjoy immersing ourselves in Costa Rican culture. 

Still, cooking for Thanksgiving was a challenge for me, spoiled as I have been to a great kitchen, big chopping block, free-range fresh turkey and all the organic foods I wanted back in California. Here we had to settle for a frozen Butterball turkey and I had to make do in the tight confines of my small kitchen, even mixing my own poultry seasoning from individual herbs. But it worked. Our friends Kate and Gilberto drove over from their mountain village La Estrella, and Jeannette and Linda joined us for a grand dinner served on our back patio, with our dining table and patio table pushed together to seat the six of us. Our charming landlady Odie also stopped by for a glass of wine and a few hors d’oeuvres before dinner. We apparently had such a good time, we all forgot to take pictures!

On Friday, Kate and Gilberto and Layne and I relaxed for some hours up by the pool, swimming then sunbathing with a good book. Gilberto pulled out his dominoes and challenged Layne to a match. Those two play cutthroat, as the occasional yells of dismay from the rancho confirmed, but eventually Gilberto triumphed over his Gringo opponent. 

That evening, I found myself preparing for still another dinner party as we had promised Gilberto a taste of the excellent bacon-wrapped filet mignons we buy at PriceSmart, cooked on the grill in the rancho. Since Gilberto speaks little English, we wanted him to have an opportunity to meet Eduardo, our Tico landlord, who also has limited English, so we invited Odie and Eduardo to meet us by the pool for dinner. Then it turned out Linda could also join us and offered to prepare some potatoes to grill. At one point, we even thought Odie and Eduardo’s son Estevan would be coming as well. As the guest list began to grow, my stress level began to rise, as I hastily added items to the menu and hurried to fix a salad. But it all came together in a pleasant evening of good food, good conversation and lots of laughter. It was a welcome return to Pura Vida!