Cookin' Up A Stew

One of my (many) unfinished projects is a recipe booklet featuring Marcial's great sausage printed up for him to hand out free with each purchase. Since Marcial uses no additives in his Sperone products, no MSG, nitrites or nitrates, only his unique package of spices, his sausage lends itself to a multitude of different healthy recipes that accent the rich pork flavors of the meat or lend a subtle Italian flavor to other ingredients. In particular, we suspect that Ticos are somewhat unfamiliar with the many delicious ways to use Italian sausage. For the most part, what you see in Costa Rica by way of sausages are the chunky links of spiced pork or beef, usually called chorizo or salchichon, split open and fried as a side dish alongside a breakfast of Gallo Pinto, the ubiquitous national dish of rice and beans, and fried or scrambled eggs. Papas con Chorizo (potatoes with sausage) or perhaps empanadas, small filled pastry turnovers using chorizo can be found but by and large, Italian sausage is not much used in Costa Rican cooking.

  

2nd Place Team Sperone in 2012

When we first met Marcial a couple of years ago and tasted his scrumptious sausage, I immediately thought it might be helpful to him in marketing his product to give out a little recipe brochure with each kilo of the tasty meat. We happily helped him develop a chili recipe using Italian sausage that won 2nd Place at the 2012 Atenas Chili Cook-off and 5th Place at this year's event, giving Team Sperone satisfying recognition in a world full of beef chilis. But of course, time passes and as regular readers know, Layne and I do manage to keep a full dance card around here, so the notation "recipe booklet for sausages" remains on my "To do" List, still lacking the critical checkmark indicating "completed."

Seidy, Marcial and Yours Truly in 2013

With nothing in particular to write about today, and being long over-due for a blog post, I thought I would offer here a dish I recently made which uses the Sperone sausages and chayote, one of many inexpensive local vegetables, a native Central American squash sometimes known as vegetable pear. The chayote has a crisp light texture that picks up flavors readily so it's a great companion to the distinct Italian taste of Sperone sausage. So without further ado, I offer you Chayote and Chorizo Stew! Bon appetit!

Chayote and Chorizo Stew

Ingredients:

         3 Sperone Spicy Italian Sausage links, casings removed

         1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

         1 onion, chopped

         1 chili dulce (or red bell pepper), chopped

         3-4 cloves garlic, minced

         1 lrg. or 2 med. chayote squash, seeded and chopped into ½ in. cubes

         1 -2 jalapeño peppers, finely diced (taste for hotness and use as much as you like)

         1 - 15-oz. can diced tomatoes or better yet, 2 -3 medium organic tomatoes, diced, including juices (use fresh tomatoes, if possible, to avoid BPA in the white-lined cans of tomatoes)

         1 - 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed well and drained

         1 cup frozen corn or 1 small can of whole kernel corn

         ½ tsp ground thyme

         1 tsp (or more) chili powder

         ½ tsp cumin

         salt and pepper to taste

Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat; cook the sausage in the skillet until browned, breaking it up as you saute; remove from pan and set aside. Add the olive oil. onion, chili dulce, jalapeños and garlic to the skillet; cook and stir until the onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Return the sausage to the pan along with the chayote squash; cook and stir until the squash begins to soften, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, corn, thyme, cumin and chili powder; season with salt and pepper. Cook until it has all become well acquainted, about 30 minutes more. 

(Variation: Try using basil and oregano in place of chili powder and cumin. For less spicy dish, use Sperone regular Italian in place of the spicy Italian sausage.)

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

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 

   

Big Birthdays and Baby Back Ribs

If there's one thing the Santa Eulalia Gang, aka The 10:27 Club, knows how to do, it's celebrate a birthday. And it was with festive spirits and grateful hearts that we all gathered last week to wish an enthusiastic Happy Birthday to our honorary leader and dear friend, Marcial Artavia, aka The Sausage King, aka Costa Rica Dundee. As his 62nd birthday approached, his adorable wife Seidy took charge. Keeping it simple, she decided on typical Tico fare of rice, red beans, yucca, home-baked bread, chicken simmered in a spicy sauce and a beautiful salad adorned with a pink plumeria from her garden. Eroca provided one of her now-famous desserts, Pineapple Upside-down Cake. 

Feast for a King

The rest of us contributed a few appetizers, plenty of beer and wine and Marcial's favorite indulgence, J&B scotch whiskey. It was a feast fit for ... well, a Sausage King! With his family all there, including his mom Haydee who did the honors of blowing out the single symbolic candle, and the entire Santa Eulalia gang gathered around him, it was sure to be a fun evening for Marcial as indeed it was.

Eroca, Marc, Sue, Marcial, Seidy & Stephen (Layne's hand in foreground)

Plumeria from the yard

Eroca presents the birthday cake

A birthday hug from Mom...

A birthday kiss from Seidy

Since most of the female members of the Santa Eulalia Gang were in attendance (all but Carmen), the event gave us a chance to take a photo together wearing the stunning earrings that Marcial and Seidy's oldest son Felipe makes. They feature a Dream-catcher design in your choice of colors and use coconut shell as a frame. Felipe is making these to sell in an effort to earn tuition money for college. 

Showing off our earrings

The "official" Santa Eulalia Gang earrings

Felipe hopes to study architecture at a private school here in Costa Rica but the cost to register is pretty steep. So he is offering these beautiful earrings at only 5000 colones a pair, or about $10, as a way to save enough for tuition. If you want to wear the official Santa Eulalia Gang earrings and help this young man get into college, send me an email at mailto:pksunlove@gmail.com and I'll put you in touch with Felipe.

As usual the rest of our week and weekend was busy with our regular trips to the gym, hikes around the neighborhood and the community fiesta that is every Friday's feria. We always see dozens of people we know there. On Friday night Chris and Sue and Marcial and Seidy came to our house to enjoy some of Chris' amazing North Carolina barbequed baby back ribs. Oh, wow, were they juicy, falling-off-the-bone delicious! Slow-cooked in the oven for a few hours then slathered in Chris' homemade sauce for a final browning on the charcoal grill, they were some of the best I've ever had. (Unfortunately, we were so busy cooking and eating, we forgot to take photos.) Along with his cole slaw and my baked beans and potato salad, we were completely satiated by the end of the evening. No wonder Layne and I have trouble losing weight, despite all our exercise. But with food this good, who can resist? Certainly not me! Pura Vida!

P.S. Thanks to my wonderful loyal readers, this blog is about to hit the 50,000 all-time page views mark! Thank you so much for your continued readership, support and encouragement.  

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 

  

Jungle Trails & Badminton in the Mango Grove

Layne and I are about to head out the door for a hike around the neighborhood and soon I'll be packing for still another trip to the U.S. My mom in Texas has had a few non-serious health issues of late and I leave tomorrow to spend a few weeks with her to help get things back in order around her house; Layne will join me there in mid-September. Meanwhile I owe my readers an update on our busy lives here in beautiful Costa Rica.

Back on August 15th, it was Dia de Las Madres or Mother's Day here and it was our good fortune to be invited to our neighbor Rosa's family celebration. Over a delicious lunch of pollo (chicken), steamed vegetables, rice and the delicious chicken soup pictured here, we practiced our Spanish and learned more about the big family on whose large traditional family estate we reside. Rosa and her sister Suzie live together in a comfortable home on the main road above us. In fact, it is Rosa's house that we give as a landmark to taxi drivers when heading home, there being no house numbers or indeed road signs in Costa Rica. "A la casa de Rosa Mora," we say, and they all know the place. The two sisters are siblings of Isaac Mora, our landlord who lives next door to us; Rosa's house is next to Isaac's, just up the hill. Across the road is Juan, a brother, and next door to Rosa's place is still another sister who lives with her son. A fourth sibling, Angelica, lives in Heredia and arrived later with her lovely daughter Maria. Maria spoke some English as she works at the airport as an industrial engineer so she was able to translate a bit for everyone. The fiesta was so entertaining that I neglected to take any more pictures once the food was on the table!

It is the rainy season here and as in all tropical countries, sometimes it really pours. During a deluge, the noise on our metal roof can be deafening. But most Ticos prefer this wetter time of year because everything is so green, the flowers bloom gloriously and the heavy rains clear the streets and gutters of trash and debris. Because of this, Costa Ricans tend to throw plastic bags and other litter on the ground, confident that when the rains come, it will all disappear. It does, of course, but they don't seem to realize that most of that garbage will end up in rivers, streams and eventually the ocean, contributing to a global problem. Fortunately, recycling of paper and plastic and other materials is beginning to catch on with a service that collects recyclables now coming regularly to Atenas and other communities.

 

The rains also wash away a lot of dirt from the steep hillsides here. On a recent walk, we passed a gentleman shoveling dirt from the concrete gutter where it had collected after a big downpour. Further along we crossed the usually small creek, now running fast and deep, a muddy brown from the runoff.

Seidy, Layne, Bonnie, Chris, Sue & Marcial
(Photo by Stephen Kopel)

Yesterday was overcast with a light sprinkle now and then but it didn't stop us from joining a group of good friends at Marcial and Seidy's house for a Tico feast and some badminton. The group, led by Marcial, had earlier in the day taken a long hike down by the river, down treacherous muddy slopes and up steep hillsides. Layne said it was a challenging walk but invigorating. I had to miss the outing in order to call my mom and let her know I was coming for a visit this week. It had been a worrisome couple of weeks for me, as we didn't know what was causing her to feel so bad. But after a trip to the doctor, she had learned it was not serious so my trip should be fun, not troubling.

By stretching elastic cord over the ground for borders and setting up a net, Marcial and his sons Felipe and Daniel had constructed a makeshift badminton court in the midst of the mango grove. Soon everyone got in on the game, with Seidy making some great shots and Layne giving it his all. New friends Chris and Sue got into the game, with Chris' height giving him a strong advantage. Meanwhile, the "fans in the bleacher seats" nibbled on local peanuts in the shell, chips and guacamole and sipped on beer or Seidy's delicious refresca drink, made from star fruit. 

Daniel and Stephen vs Layne and Seidy

Chris celebrates a shot

Seidy in action!

Eventually, a duel between "the old guys" of Marcial and Stephen and "the young bloods" of Felipe and Daniel got started with Layne on the sideline keeping score and correcting the teams on the rules of the game. It was fast and furious for a while, with the winning team uncertain. At one point, Marc's dog Bean decided to take a nap in the middle of the court and when Stephen gently touched her on the rump with his racket to encourage her to move away, she curled up in terror of punishment. With some gentle coaxing from Marcial, she was finally persuaded to lie down out of bounds and the game proceeded. With a final score of 15-13, the seniors beat out the kids and gloated appropriately.

Bean just wants in the game...

But she is banished to the sidelines

Stephen and Marcial vs Felipe and Daniel

The "peanut" gallery

Feisty little Bean (l), Yours Truly and Referee Layne
(Photo by Stephen Kopel)

Relaxing after the game
(Photo by Stephen Kopel)

Leftovers from the feast

Then it was back to the house for a yummy chicken and garbanzo soup, avocado salad, traditional Tico cabbage and tomato salad and Marcial's great Italian sausage and peppers dish, flavored with fresh basil and tarragon, served over rice. What a feast!

Don't expect many posts from me, dear readers, while I'm in Texas. But I'll resume my reports after Layne and I return on September 30th. Meanwhile, Pura Vida!

Back to Pura Vida in Costa Rica

Layne's and my last suitcase is unpacked and (mostly) put away and I finally have some time to update my blog. It sure feels good to be back in beautiful Costa Rica! Our time in the USA was successful in re-financing and fixing up the house and included some fun times with friends and family but overall was pretty stressful. If you saw my blogs from there, you know how much physical labor we faced. Not only the mere unpacking of the barn, moving boxes and furniture, but also the extensive yard work required to get things back in order.

Mexico City airport

Our return trip went smoothly enough but was incredibly lengthy. Aeromexico decided to cancel our original flight connecting from Mexico City to San Jose, Costa Rica. With that itinerary we would have arrived in Costa Rica about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evening. As it was, we endured a 14-hour layover in Mexico City following our red-eye from San Francisco. Fortunately, we had learned that the Hilton located right inside the airport offered a "day rate" for us weary travelers so we were able to crash on comfortable beds and sleep for much of the day. Still it was 11:30 p.m. that night before we finally landed in San Jose, another hour before we were home and about 2:00 a.m. when we hit the bed, exhausted.

Our wonderful landlords here, Isaac and Sonia, had done some significant improvements, making this home even more comfortable and attractive. 

Shrubs along the walkway to the rancho

New shading for the plants

New guest bed

Happy bamboo orchids

New shrubs along the back walkway, a green shading material over a garden area to protect my orchids and herbs from the sun, a new larger ceiling fan in our bedroom and the smaller one from there installed in my office and finally a grand new queen-sized bed in the guest room. The gardener had been busy pruning and planting and the maid had the whole house spic and span.

Darlene (on sidewalk), Glenn, Marcial, Seidy & Layne

So with Thursday to chill out and begin unpacking, we were ready for the feria on Friday to pick up a few groceries and where we were sure we'd see many of our local friends. We were not disappointed! It was as colorful and festive as we remembered with Jan selling bread in her booth, Gabriel with his organic local coffee, Marcial and Seidy standing by with Italian sausage for their customers and lots of our friends, Tico and Gringo, strolling along the sidewalk. We were royally welcomed by all.

As we later walked around town running errands, we were reminded of one of the reasons we love this place so much: without fail, virtually everyone we met - whether we knew them or not - greeted us with "Buenos dias," direct eye contact and a big smile. What a friendly country.

"Corn as high as an elephant's eye!"

It's the early rainy season here and the plants and flowers love it. They are absolutely springing up by inches each day. In what was a cornfield next to us there is now a thriving sugar cane field, with red beans and corn where the sugar cane was last year, a form of crop rotation we assume. As the old song says, "the corn is as high as an elephant's eye!" Our neighbor Rosa has promised us some fresh red beans when they ripen in just a few days.

On Saturday, however, we had an awkward, if humorous, incident when we went to pick up our organic veggie order. While we were still in the States, I had contacted the organic sellers by email but learned that Melissa, the coordinator who speaks English and several other languages, was in Mexico so I had to communicate with Iris, who speaks no English. My Spanish being what it is, I attempted to send in our order only to find that my instruction for .5 or ½ kilo of carrots and .5 or ½ liter of goat's milk had been interpreted by Iris as 5 kilos of carrots and 5 liters of the milk. That's a lot of carrots! Fortunately, Melissa was back from her trip and very graciously worked things out so that we were not stuck with such huge quantities. As it turns out, we quite like the goat's milk and have almost gone through the two or three liters that we took.

Felipe at work

Bonnie and Layne

With our energy somewhat restored by Monday, we took a walk over to Bonnie and Stephen's, where I had left some of my herbs in Bonnie's care. Sadly, most hadn't survived and I left the one remaining basil with her. Stephen was away in his new position teaching photography at a local school but it was fun to visit with Bonnie while Marcial's son Felipe was painting some trim in their cute Tico cottage. Their big news was that Stephen and Bonnie had just gotten married on Friday after some years of living happily together. But for residency and Social Security reasons, they had decided to tie that knot. Apparently all that was required was for them to sign a book with Marcial and Seidy standing by at witnesses. Muy facil! (Very easy!)

So all is well in the land of Pura Vida and we are so happy to be here. It may be quite awhile before we feel the need to wander again. 

Costa Rica Fun, Food and Friendship

Our community of fun and fun things to do just keeps growing here in Santa Eulalia. Nowhere else in our two years in Costa Rica have we lived in a neighborhood in which we found so many kindred spirits, new friends, both Tico and Gringo and entertaining things to see and do around every corner. Even our almost-daily walks offer new vistas in recent days as cornfields and sugarcane fields have been  harvested and left bare, opening up distant views. One day this week we hiked down a side road toward the waterfall, passing empty cane fields that revealed trees standing tall above sheer canyon walls. In the distance we could see Barrio Los Angeles, where we used to live, and even spied our former landlords Odie and Eduardo's red roof.

But today was special for me. I just returned from a truly magical experience: riding a beautiful Paso Fino mare in an arena about a 15-minute walk down the road from us. A shiny bay with a luxurious long black mane and large, dark intelligent eyes, she was spirited, but responsive and obedient and attentive to every shift of my weight in the saddle or slight adjustment on the reins. Controlled only with a rope halter, she easily stopped, backed up, turned and picked up her incredible quick-step Paso gait with only subtle signals from me. That gait is so different from what I'm used to; no posting to the trot, you just sit quietly as the horse moves smoothly beneath your seat. It was an absolute joy to be on horseback again. I was so excited to be riding such an exquisite animal, I forgot all about taking pictures. But Talia looked much like the bay Paso pictured here.

Photo courtesy of ParadisePasoFinos.com

Equally wonderful was the new Tico friend I made in horse owner Francisco, thanks again to our estimado amigo Marcial, who had arranged this ride for me. After watching me ride awhile, Francisco complimented me on my riding skills then announced I could come ride anytime I wanted. Smiling, he said, "this is your house now," basically offering me the opportunity to ride his horse like it was my own. As we talked more, he also invited me join him and some of his friends on a trail ride soon. It is a dream come true for this horselover, as I miss being around horses and especially my own sweet Mojave, rest his horsy soul.

This introductory ride was arranged by Marcial after he had mentioned to me the possibility of my riding in an upcoming "tope" here in Atenas. As I understand it, a tope is a horse parade, usually part of a bigger festival, in which riders come from all over the country to show off their beautiful steeds and prance down the streets of town in colorful traditional finery. A Tico friend of Marcial's was looking for ways to involve some of the Gringo community in Atenas in the planned tope and since Marcial knew I had owned a horse in the United States, he asked if I'd be interested in participating. Would I?!! You bet! Just get me a horse, I said, and I'm there. But I also asked if he thought I could do some riding before the parade to get my "seat" back, and from this conversation came the ride today at Francisco's barn. We feel very lucky to be friends with such good-hearted and generous people.

Last night was another good time, this one a pool party and dinner at Bonnie & Stephen's house just down the hill from the horse barn where I rode today. I threw together a big salad made from organic lettuces, arugula, tomatoes, beets, cucumber, green onion and chili dulce before Layne and I hiked down the road in time for a leisurely swim in their incredible "pool with a view." As Bonnie said while we gazed out over the edge of the pool at the verdant jungle scenery, "I sometimes wonder if I'm at the Beverly Hilton or maybe I just died and this is heaven." It was pretty heavenly and lucky us, Bonnie & Stephen have thrown the door open to us as well, inviting us to use their pool anytime we want. 

Felipe, aspiring photographer

The handsome young Felipe, Marcial and Saedi's 23-year-old son was there, continuing his lessons in photography from the former instructor and accomplished videographer Stephen, as was Bonnie & Stephen's charming Filipino landlord Dave. When Marcial and Saedi joined us at the swimming pool a little later, we all stared in awe as the magnificent full moon rose over the treetops and highlighted the blue water in the pool. We left the periquitos del amor, as we laughingly called the "lovebirds" Marcial and Saedi, to their evening swim as the rest of us headed down to the house for a glass of wine. When they joined us in a while, we enjoyed a dinner of salads, mine and a yummy fruit, black beans, rice and more of that addictive Italian sausage. A most pleasant way to spend an evening!

Team Sperone Wins Big at Chili Cook-off!

Today I have much to celebrate. First of all, it's my son Damian's birthday. Layne and I are so proud of him. He's grown into a fine man, a dedicated and skillful firefighter and a wonderful, devoted father. Not only that, but he and my precious grandson Kai are scheduled to arrive this week for a most welcome visit. Layne and I are looking forward to their holiday with joyful anticipation of a fun trip.

I'm also celebrating my chili team's 2nd place victory on Sunday at the Atenas Charity Chili Cook-off. Composed of our inspiring team leader, Marcial Artavia of Italian Sausage fame, his adorable, hard-working wife Sadie, our dedicated neighbor Jackie and Yours Truly, along with some key help from our husbands Neil and Layne, our group claimed the runner-up spot on our first time in the competition. In fact, Marcial knew little about chili fixing when we began preparing for the contest a few weeks ago. As reported in a previous blog post, team members spent several evenings testing our various recipes, trying out different ingredients and sampling the delicious results. Team members and neighborhood supporters contributed chili powder, a tablecloth, a huge cook pot, a portable stove and emergency tape. We printed some cool business cards and Marcial had an excellent banner made to hang above our table, all with an eye to promoting his line of Italian Sausage, named Sperone, meaning "spur" in Italian in honor of his grandfather's nickname. At the end of the day, however, it was Marcial who served as the ultimate chef, cooking up a three-gallon batch of the chili on Saturday night with some sous chef assistance from Sadie. Little did we imagine coming so close to winning the top prize but that final pot of chili was really first-rate.

A big turnout for the event

Sunday's event was a festive and hugely successful affair with well over the expected 1000 people in attendance and some 30 teams competing for the top prize. No word yet on how much was raised for the charity, Hogar de Vida, the local orphanage, but I feel sure it will easily top last year's $3500 donation.

Sadie at work at the Sperone table

The Sperone Italian Sausage team had a good spot right by an open door, which helped keep us cool, but the strong wind occasionally disrupted our neat space. In fact, at one point a gust blew over and spilled the small box of silver beans that had been deposited by attendees voting for our chili as their People's Choice selection. Poor Sadie scrambled around under tables and across the ceramic tiles trying to recover every single bean!

The lovely 2012 Chili Queen, with Sadie and Marcial

As the day wore on, we began to get the idea that we might have a shot at winning. People were coming to our table commenting, "Everyone is saying yours is the best," and asking for their sample. One of the judges, our friend Jonathan of Vista Atenas B&B, even came back to our table for seconds. We ran out far too early and next year we'll be cooking twice as much.

Teams had gone all-out for the competition, with fancy aprons and matching hats, pots of flowers or other table decorations. Competitors included teams from the bomberos (firefighters), the Marine Corps, Pure Life Development real estate, the Hot Meat group from Guanacaste with their crazy hotdog logo, Jalapeño's restaurant from Alajuela and of course, Texas expats who claim that chili con carne originated in the Lone Star State. It was truly a great day with live music, some dancing, a silent auction and a raffle in which our team member Jackie won a huge basket of goodies from chocolate to coffee to cheese, plus two bottles of good wine. What a day!

Team Sperone takes 2nd Place!

Thanks to all the amazing volunteers who helped set up the tables and signs, sell beer, wine, sodas and hot dogs, solve electrical and other logistical problems, plus clean up afterwards; thanks also to vocalist Francis Jones, MC Tina Newton, the management and staff at Roma Vista resort and especially Kay and Tom Costello, whose love and inspiration brought this event into being. It was such fun and so satisfying to know our efforts contributed to the important work at Hogar de Vida, a loving home for local orphaned, abused or neglected children. Bravissimo! 

Charity Chili and All the Fixin's

The 5th Annual Atenas Charity Chili Cook-off is almost upon us and it's all hands in the kitchen. Scheduled for Sunday, February 12, the event is expected to attract over 1000 people this year and raise much more than the $3500 they donated last year to the children's orphanage in Atenas, Hogar de Vida. Ordinarily, being the chili chef that I am, I would be joining in the cooking fray, hoping to win recognition for my mini-world-famous chili con carne. Instead I've been recruited to serve on our Tico friend Marcial's team, along with neighbor Jackie, another fine cook, to help promote Marcial's excellent Italian sausage. (Check out our new Facebook page, which I helped Marcial set up.) Needless to say, our recipe relies heavily on the wonderful flavors of that meat.

In preparation for the big day, we have had several "trial run" dinners lately where Jackie or I have prepared our favorite recipe using the sausage, with Marcial overseeing the process. He actually has virtually no experience cooking chili so he's relying heavily Jackie's and my expertise. As a result we have enjoyed some very tasty chili lately, along with the pleasure of the company of Marcial and Sadie and Jackie and Neil and occasionally our other local friend Marc.

Neil "rolls" a good one

At the dinner party last week here at our house, after the chili was consumed Layne turned on the Wii game console and set up a bowling tournament for the gang. It's amazing how realistic that system is. Other than the weight of the ball, it "feels" like bowling and requires all the same movements and adjustments as in the real game. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, including Sadie who took her turn bowling with intense seriousness and in spite of her inexperience, compiled a respectable score. But the real contest was between Neil and Marcial, who as you can see, both got their game on. Although Layne and I remember the fun that night, we don't remember the winner!

Marcial bowls as Sadie looks on

On Saturday Layne and I joined our friends Leonard, Sally and Kevin for a bus trip into San Jose for a meeting of the Costa Rica Democrats Abroad group, which is affiliated with the overseas branch of the U.S. Democratic Party, Democrats Abroad. It seems there are enough United States expats living in various countries to comprise the population of a whole other state, some four to six million of us around the world with an estimated seventy thousand here in Costa Rica. I'm happy to report that Costa Rica's Dems Abroad group is one of the fastest growing clubs, according to the Democrats Abroad website. We met a number of new acquaintances who share our passion for progressive democratic values and learned some ways we may be of help to the group in social media marketing, voter registration and get-out-the-vote this year.

After the meeting, Layne and I walked from the Holiday Inn where the meeting was held a few blocks over to the National Theater, crossing through a lively city life scene on the plaza next to it. We wandered into an Apple store nearby where Layne bought a cable so we can watch movies through the computer, displayed on the television screen. Then we headed for the National Theater. A friend had recently given us an historical five thousand colones note, featuring beautiful artwork that is displayed full-size in the National Theater. I wanted a second copy so I could have the front and back framed together as an addition to our small Costa Rican artwork collection. We had been told there were street vendors selling them around the theater. And sure enough as we emerged from inside the theater, there was a young man with a handful of the notes, selling them for only 500 colones each, about a dollar.

With purchases in hand, we headed for Coca Cola, the large bus station from whence our Atenas bus departs. After asking directions from sales clerks in a shoe store, we found we were headed more or less the right direction. So we soldiered on and gradually the street scene became more like that around the bus staion, a bit rough and tumble with discount clothing stores all along the way. At a street vendor's stall, I asked again, Donde es Coca Cola, señor? One block down and one block over and there we were, just in time for the 2 p.m. bus. Another excellent adventure in our ongoing exploration of the land of Pura Vida!