Blame It On Winston!

If I have been delinquent in posting to this blog, it's all Winston's fault. He's just so darned demanding! Always wanting a pet, or a walk or needing to go out to pee or poop (house-training is going very well!) or just looking so cute, I can't resist laying down on the floor and snuggling up to him. Then there are the hilarious puppy moments, such as today when Layne brought home a new toy for him. As soon as he figured out that it was "his," he ran proudly through the house and out into the backyard with a mouth full of plush plaything where he proceeded to thrash the little Santa Claus doll mercilessly, as only a puppy can. 

The new dog Frisbee he's yet to figure out but we have hopes for great fetch games as soon as he understands how to pick the disc up. So doggie duties are my excuse for the delay in blogging, ok? I'm sure all you dog-lovers out there understand completely.

Sit. Stay ... OK, we got Sit.

Then there's the training. Today while Layne went alone to the feria, Winston and I took a walk along a deserted road nearby where we worked on "sit," "stay" and "heel." As you can see from the photo, his "sit" is coming along nicely and he's very good on the leash, although I'm not sure if he has fully grasped the whole "heel" concept or if he just likes walking next to me. "Stay" is another matter altogether. When I tried to lay down the leash to take a better picture, he took that as permission to come over for a pet. After all, he had "sat" for a full thirty seconds, hadn't he?

Of course, he's also required some medical attention this week since he went in for the dreaded neutering on Tuesday. All went well but he was one drunk puppy when he got home that afternoon and one hungover pup the next day. By day two, he was back to his happy little self, especially so since I figured out how to bury his antibiotic pill inside a little chunk of raw hamburger. Oh, baby! Is that good!

He is now officially famous, with people at the feria last week recognizing him on sight and friends driving by hollering "Hey, Winston Churchill!" At the feria, one lady actually was so excited to meet him, she exclaimed to Layne, "Wow, I've met a star today!" Such is the power of the press, I suppose. Next thing you know they'll be asking him for a paw print.

On a completely different topic (who needs a segue?), this beautiful Turquoise-browed Motmot landed in our mandarina tree last week and I hurried to the doorway to sneak a few photos. 

I love these stunning birds and was thrilled to have one in our yard. I'm told that they are called "bobos" by Ticos, which means stupid because they nest near the ground in an earthen bank or a quarry, for instance, where their eggs are an easy target for predators. Whatever their I.Q. may be, they certainly get an A+ on the beauty thing.

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Going to the Dogs!

The big news around here today is named Winston, or Winnie for short, and he's a Chocolate Lab mix puppy with amazing golden eyes. I saw him at the feria today, offered for adoption by the Animales Abandonadas, a local foundation that works with private foster homes. They called him Tomi but we decided he needed a more distinguished name. (Plus, Layne happens to be reading a book on Winston Churchill at the moment. Thus, the name.)

Introducing Winston 

Winne's only about three months old and has apparently been on the street for a while as he is pretty thin. But for a little guy who has had such a tough start in life, he's very calm and sweet; he just looks up at you shyly and wags his tail hoping for a kind word or pat on the head. Layne and I are only fostering him for now since we have plans to spend a couple of months in the U.S. later this year but we will give him a loving home and some much-needed nourishment while we find him a permanent home. If you've ever thought about getting a dog and if you know the joys of owning a Lab, which are wonderful loving and loyal dogs, please consider adopting Winnie.

Besides trips to the States, Layne and I also feel we should not adopt a dog permanently right now because we are away from home so much, both on local outings with our Santa Eulalia friends as well as trips around Costa Rica exploring the country in my role as a travel writer. Although a dog could certainly join us for our local hikes, it's not so easy to bring one along on our trips to the beach. Most hotels are not very welcoming of pets.

Rancho Coral gardens

As it happens, however, we were at a pet-friendly hotel only last weekend, charming Rancho Coral in Esterillos Oeste, on an outing with our friends Marcial and Seidy and Chris and Sue. But the two-hour bus trip would not have been so pet-friendly; indeed, getting there would have meant renting a car, another drawback for us in dog-ownership. Once we arrived at the beachfront motel owned by Marcial and Seidy's long-time friends, Wilburth and Eva, it was wall-to-wall dogs -- well, maybe only six or eight -- a few cats and lots of chickens as well. So for pet lovers, Rancho Coral is the place to go for a warm animal welcome.

It's a great place for humans as well, especially humans who love playing in the ocean, surfing the waves or just walking on a long empty beach. Rancho Coral is just a few steps from the high-tide mark, its lush gardens strung with hammocks perfect for lazing away an hour or two meditating on the endless rolling surf. Sue and Layne and I took good advantage of those comfortable swinging sofas to enjoy the balmy weather and light breezes. Unfortunately, Sue warned me a moment too late to avoid flipping over backwards onto the sandy ground as I tried to seat myself in my hammock. Nothing was hurt but my pride.

Marcial, Chris, Sue, Seidy and Layne

Later in the afternoon, at the insistence of our strong-minded exercise coach Marcial, we all took off for a long walk down the beach toward the tide pools formed by ancient lava flow and adorned by a fascinating sculpture of a mermaid perched on a concrete base, known as La Sirena or The Siren. With the tide out, she reigns supreme on her dry pedestal and when the tide comes in, she rises above the waters to serve as a sentinel offshore. Taking a rest, we watched some young men kicking a soccer ball around on the shore as the sun began to set in the western skies.

Heading out for a beach stroll

La Sirena

La Sirena and tide pools at low tide

Seidy, looking like a tropical princess 

That evening, we enjoyed a wonderful meal at the hotel prepared by Tomas, one of the family members who run Rancho Coral. Most of us chose grilled snook, with its firm, white flesh, accompanied by vegetables,

A great fish dinner!

rice and tasty little mussels alongside two excellent sauces, one spicy, the other a Thai peanut flavor. We all raved!

It was a short weekend for most everyone, as they all caught the Sunday afternoon bus back to Atenas. But Layne and I decided to hang out one more night to give me my beach "fix." If the weather weren't quite so hot and humid ocean-side, I'd surely choose to live there!

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