Happy Fourth with a Homeowner Hangover!

Happy Fourth of July to all from Kat and Layne! We know our U.S. of A. expat friends in Costa Rica are gathering for a traditional Independence Day picnic of hot dogs, games and entertainment including a special Flag Ceremony with members of the U.S. Marine Corps, all put on by the American Colony Committee of Costa Rica. The Democrats Abroad Costa Rica group will be present with a booth set up for voter registration and voter information for the fall elections. Although we'd love to be there, we will enjoy some barbeque and fireworks with our friend Ruth at the Auburn Fairgrounds later today.

Meanwhile, we continue on with our endless projects around here, both planned ones and some unexpected challenges. A few days ago Layne noticed water gushing out from the ground along the driveway near our well. Uh-oh. This did not look good. Naturally, it was the weekend so reaching our well pump guys was not happening. Off went the electricity to the well pump and off went the faucet at the well that feeds water into our 2500-gallon water storage tank. We filled up a large kettle from the hose to have a small supply at the house and settled down to wait for Nate, the repair guy, to return our call.

When Monday came and we spoke with Nate, it turned out his crews were all extremely busy with water problems all over the area, some even far up into the mountains out of cell phone range. The upshot was that he didn't really know when they could get out here, perhaps not for several days. We continued that day without water, our newly planted flowers and tomatoes beginning to wilt. Well, the tomatoes were already a disaster as during the night a deer had managed to jump the back gate and nibble the tomato plants down to a nub. By yesterday, Layne decided we had best take matters into our own hands and see if we could determine where the water was coming from.

Now mind you, Layne and I are "Abbott and Costello" when it comes to handyman chores. As I often say, if there's a wrong way to do something, that's probably the way we'll try first. We just are not very knowledgeable when it comes to repairing things around a house. But we are bold so with shovels in hand, we headed to the well and started digging, carefully, to see if we could find the leak. The softened ground clearly indicated water had been seeping from somewhere. Indeed, it appeared that our previous tenant had even laid thick rubber stall mats around the base of the blue holding tank perhaps to stabilize the ground, which suggested the problem had been going on for some time.

After turning the power back on and opening the water valve, it didn't take long before I saw the source of the problem: water was simply gushing out from what appeared to be a shut-off valve that had failed. What had probably been a slow leak initially, over time had given way and water was pouring out onto the base of the holding tank, softening the soil until the tank itself was beginning to cant over and threaten further breakage of pipes and other parts of the well assembly. It was either find a way to stop the flow or continue to do without water.

We tried to find a pipe plug of some kind that would screw into the opening but nothing fit. As I squatted down by the pipe, fighting off the army of ants that we had disturbed, I finally determined that by pushing in hard on the broken valve, the water would stop flowing from the open pipe. So now what could we use to keep pressure on that valve? In a moment of inspiration, we decided that we might be able to use some of the many large rocks on our land to apply the necessary pressure and halt the flow. It took not one, not two, but finally with three large rocks, we solved our problem - at least for the moment. We continue to check periodically to be sure our jerry-rigged solution is still in place.

With that problem solved, we were feeling pretty smug. That is, until we ran the dishwasher and discovered that the garbage disposal was blocked by something, which was causing the water exiting the dishwasher to fill up one side of the sink! Undaunted, Layne grabbed a plunger and with admirable determination, managed to open the disposal pipe. Good grief. What next?

Photo courtesy of http://www.old-picture.com/old-west/pictures/Placer-Mining.jpg

So with no immediate homeowner crises to handle today, we managed to get out for a walk this morning, strolling along shady San Pedro Hill Road nearby. As we often are when exploring our Sierra Foothills neighborhood, we were struck by the reminders of the Gold Rush of 1849 when tens of thousands of hopeful miners swarmed into this area in search of the precious metal. The old 49er's trail, known now as Highway 49 in their honor, appears here and there in short, rough stretches as it meets up with today's more modern asphalt thoroughfare. Gullies carved decades ago by placer miners diverting streams in the dream of riches tumbling down from the quartz mountains above still remain. Today's view was of vines known hereabouts as "Miner's Grapes," which continue to yield delicious fruits. The grapevines along our walk today were enormous, covering long sections of the side of the road and seeming to blanket the steep hillsides below.

Like many North Americans, Layne and I are indeed blessed and very lucky to have been born in this wonderful, though imperfect, "land of the free and home of the brave." We wish you all a celebratory and safe Fourth of July!

Tico Kids' Parade and Jazz in the Jungle

It’s 2:30 p.m. and the rain is pouring down, accompanied by flashes of lightning and loud thunderclaps uncomfortably close by. The computers are unplugged to protect against surges and the lights flicker now and then, but so far so good. In all likelihood, the storm cell will pass over and within an hour or so, the skies will clear. Such is life in the tropics.

We’ve had a busy few days, what with Independence Day celebrations last week and a Sunday afternoon luncheon in a trendy jungle hideaway with a jazz band over the weekend. My volunteer work with the Partido Verde Ecologista (Green Ecological Party) has also picked up steam, so all in all I’ve had little time for blogging lately. Still, I much prefer to be busy than bored so I’m not complaining, especially when the activities are so much fun.

On Independence Day last Thursday, Layne and I hadn’t planned to go into town for the parade but as we started out on our morning walk, we realized we’d probably hit downtown just about parade time. And sure enough, as we approached the Parque Central (Central Park), the youth groups, including drum and xylophone corps, twirlers and marching flag troupes, were circling past the Municipal Building where dignitaries sat. The entire parade is made up of children, it seems, all decked out in the red, blue and white of the Costa Rican flag. I was so pleased to see one large group of children carrying environmentally-oriented signs stating the value of medicinal plants, environmental education, “a tree for a child” and other messages regarding ecology. This year’s crowd was much larger than last year, with layers of people standing six or eight deep along the sidewalks, craning their necks to see the colorful procession. We wandered along and ended up on an elevated sidewalk with a good view alongside our good friend and beautician Mariana.

We watched and took photos for a few minutes before hiking on to our destination, a small Tico neighborhood on the backside of the cemetery. We had looked at a house for rent there recently and thought there might be others in the vicinity. Indeed, one newer Tico house tempted us as the price for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath was only about $300 per month. Once again, it was the kitchen that was inadequate for my spoiled Gringo tastes, but clearly you can find bargains if you look around.

That afternoon we taxied up the hill with Mariana for an Independence Day dance party at a lovely resort and event space called Roma Vista. Our friend Marcial, the sausage maker, was there grilling his fine meats and other Ticos were on hand with picadillo, a typical Costa Rican dish of well-seasoned potato hash folded into a tortilla.

Our festive table!

Although the rains kept the faint-hearted away, there was still a respectable crowd of about 200 people who braved the weather and enjoyed the festivities. We sat with our friend Melanie, who runs an excellent restaurant in Atenas, the Balcon Café (Balcony Café), and her husband and a couple of her Tica wait staff. Plus, we made new friends of Dennis and Suzanne, a charming couple from the States who have settled here in Atenas. It was a suitable way to celebrate Costa Rica’s 190th birthday.

Sunday morning found us heading up the hill once more, this time with our friends Sally and Leonard to take in some live music at Vista del Valle, a spectacular resort and restaurant between Grecia and Naranjo. A colorful Gringo friend named Joe is the drummer for an accomplished jazz band that plays at Vista del Valle the third Sunday of each month. Sitting there enjoying the beautiful mountain views, relishing the lively music, savoring good food and laughing with friends -- Sally said it best: “This is why we live in Costa Rica!”