It's time to get packing, as they say. Layne and I head for
the U.S. in a little over a week, so I expect this will be my last post for a while.
Between planning and packing what to take and what to store, last minute doctor
and dentist appointments, a few dinner dates to keep and the arrangements still
to be made for Winston with his foster parents Chris and Sue, I don't expect to
have much time for writing.
The next two months will find us scurrying from Texas to
Oregon, to Washington then down to California to see our two sons and their
families, before returning to spend the last few weeks with my mom in West
Texas. There will likely be adventures to relate along the way, such as a
possible trip to Kilgore, Texas, for my 50th high school reunion, so check back
from time to time but don't hold your breath waiting on my next post.
Of course, it's hard to leave Costa Rica and all our
adventures and fun outings here. Just in the last week we've enjoyed a big
Labor Day BBQ at Chris and Sue's and a "cedula celebration" at Joni
and Mike's. As mentioned in my
last post, my cooking assignment for the BBQ was to prepare baked beans for
a crowd. Using home cooked red beans, leftover black beans made with Marcial's
sausage and a few cans of Goya vegetarian and jalapeno beans, all seasoned with
onion, green pepper, garlic, brown sugar, catsup and mustard, topped with a
layer of bacon, I managed to fill a big Pyrex pan. And in all immodesty, I must
say it was a popular dish - there was just barely enough. The rest of the meal
was equally splendid, with yummy contributions from everyone.
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| Pineapple as pretty as Seidy! |
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| Seidy and Daniel relax after all that good food |
But we didn't care. We just hung out in the huge main room at Chris and Sue's place, eating, talking, laughing and listening to music.
On Wednesday we taxied up to Joni and Mike's spectacular
rental in the mountain village of Plancillo in Mercedes. What a view! What a
house! A big modern four-bedroom home with a casita behind, situated on a huge
piece of manicured land, partly covered in mango trees. It is really quite a fabulous
place. The party was to celebrate their
achieving legal residency here in Costa Rica, definitely a milestone worthy of
a fiesta. Sitting out in the large
covered veranda overlooking a panoramic view of surrounding mountains with
Atenas in the distance, we enjoyed visiting with the "regulars" and
meeting some new friends while we sipped wine and nibbled on great hors
d'oeuvres. The crab dip was especially delicious and of course, we all love
bite-sized pieces of Marcial's sausage. To crown the day, which happened to be Sue's birthday, Joni had bought a splendid chocolate cake. Only the cake maker had somehow put "Happy Birthday, Zoe" instead of Sue across the icing. When we all sang Happy Birthday to her, the last line came out as "Happy Birthday, dear Zoe," which prompted a big laugh and the inevitable comment: Pura Vida!
So for now we must say adios to our pleasant life here in "paradise" and head for northern
climes but we look forward to seeing family and friends in the States. No doubt
there will be some good times there as well. Hasta luego, amigos!
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/
