Boy, have I been crazy busy since we returned to Costa Rica
one short month ago! When we arrived back from a two-month visit to the States,
there were the inevitable reunions with friends like Marcial and Seidy, who brought
me a gorgeous orchid as a welcoming gift when we resumed our regular Friday
night dinners. Then there were health issues with our dog Winston --
non-contagious mange, which required weekly shots and time-consuming baths as
well as daily cream applications, plus conjunctivitis in one eye, which meant
applying drops 2 to 3 times a day. Fortunately, he is recovering nicely and
requires less medical care now.
Lighted Bomberos' (firefighters) trucks in the parade
Within a week of our return, we found ourselves hosting
Thanksgiving dinner for ten people, which was a wonderful celebration but a lot
of work for Yours Truly. Almost as soon as the plates were cleared from that
party, we were preparing for the visit of a very dear friend, Philisse, who had
planned her trip to coincide with Layne's big 75th birthday week. To introduce
her to a taste of our lives here, we took her into town the very first night
for the Atenas Festival of Lights, where she enjoyed the parade and the
colorful array of Ticos, children and vendors in the park.
That Sunday afternoon brought together some two dozen
friends to celebrate Layne's birthday, a festive pool party at Bonnie &
Stephen's place, complete with a yummy carrot cake baked by Jan & Tom of Buen
Pan and lots of delicious food from
everyone. Toward the end of the day, Layne offered up hilarious (if slightly
inebriated) entertainment by singing a rollicking version of "Pecos
Bill" to Daniel's guitar accompaniment. Philisse enjoyed meeting our
friends and began to understand why we love our life here so much.
The gang at the pool
Philisse and Layne are all smiles!
Even Nelson, our taxista, and his family were there
Layne blows out his one big candle as Tom looks on
But the busy times were really just beginning. The very next
day Layne, Philisse and I - plus Winston! - were off to Esterillos Oeste for a
two-night stay at Rancho Coral, that cozy, pet-friendly beachfront hotel run by
our friends Wilburth and Eva. There things slowed down just a bit as we laid
out in beach chairs just yards from the surf, took strolls along the sand and
watched Winston play with the other dogs.
Winston, Layne and Philisse enjoy the beach
Winston, the Wonder Dog, enjoys dinner with friends
We even found a pet-friendly
restaurant, Los Almendros, where we enjoyed some excellent Caribbean and
Thai-style seafood while Winnie snoozed quietly beneath our table. The
proprietress has promised to send me her recipe for Fish Cakes with Red Pepper
Sauce. It was outstanding!
Layne and Philisse at Casa Inspiración
But with the dawning of the third day, we were heading back
to Atenas just long enough to unpack, re-pack, drop Winston off with our
long-suffering dog-sitter friends Chris and Sue and leave the next day for the
cloud forests of Monteverde. There we stayed at our friends Veronica and Alex's charming vacation rental, Casa Inspiración,
a rustic cabin perched on the side of the mountain with views across to the
Gulf of Nicoya. Quite a stunning setting with quiet, peaceful gardens and a
friendly dog Schnookie to keep us company.
Sunset at Casa Inspiración
Alex and his surprisingly mature
young son Stuart greeted us with delicious bocas prepared by a Tica neighbor
Gisell and her lovely daughter.
The next day Philisse and I were off to Sky Adventures for
a bird's-eye view of the cloud forest on the Sky Tram. With blue skies as a
backdrop and a strong wind whipping our hair, we savored the slow ride up to
the top of Costa Rica's Continental Divide, to about 5800' elevation. Our guide
Daniel said the winds were probably around 80 kph, or some 50 mph, and it felt
like it! But the tram was stable and secure and we soon hopped out onto the
observation platform to take a leisurely look at the dramatic scenery,
including a glimpse of Arenal Volcano and distant Lake Arenal. After our return
to the lower level, Daniel invited us to take a walk through their Hummingbird Trail,
where many exotic species of the little aviators abound along with a number of
stunning trees, plants and flowers, including some tiny orchid species that
would have gone unnoticed but for Daniel's commentary.
Amazing views from the Sky Tram
Philisse on the observation platform
Such beautiful flowers!
Such vivid colors!
Philisse shoots a "Hot Lips" flower
Daniel poses with "Elephant Ears"
Philisse goes for just one more photo!
And yet again, it was soon time to leave Monteverde and
return to Atenas for Philisse's final few days with us. We had such a great
time showing off our beloved Costa Rica to our old friend. We can only hope
that she had as good a time as we did, and that now she understands what we
mean when we say: Pura Vida!
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/
Happy Independence Day, Costa Rica! Layne and I are missing
the parades and festivities today, preparing for our departure on Wednesday,
but we share an appreciation of the freedoms with which this nation is blessed.
Those of us who live in a democracy with fundamental rights guaranteed and a
voice in our government should count our blessings every day and recognize our
good fortune as compared to many others around the world. (Here are local students practicing their parade routine without the blue, red and white banners they will carry in today's Independence Day parade.)
Yes, I know I said my most recent post would probably be my
last for a couple of months but our life with Winston just demands a short
piece today. We are so very grateful to our friends Chris and Sue for agreeing
to provide him a loving foster home while we're away but we do dread leaving
the little guy behind. He adds such delight to everyday things. Just a short
walk around the neighborhood can turn into a special moment.
Yesterday I took him out to practice his "heel,"
"sit" and "come" commands, hoping to leave a more
well-mannered doggie with Chris and Sue. After a little refresher course under
our carport, he and I headed down a quiet road nearby that has few loose dogs
or fast cars to bother us. Toward the end of this street is a house with a
bunch of dogs behind fences that always set up a clamor of barking as we walk
by. As made our way up the next hill, I looked behind us to see the Tico
gentleman of the house following us with a little bundle in his arms. As he
approached, I realized he was carrying two very small puppies.
The man has often greeted us on our walks, calling out
"buenos dias" and shushing his pack of hounds for our benefit,
occasionally coming out to the road to chat with us in Spanish. So yesterday I
stopped and held a curious Winston in check while he came up the hill toward us
with his arms full of puppy.
And adorable puppies they were, so small, hardly a few weeks
old, I would say. He explained that their mother had been killed on the road
only one day after they were born and of the five puppies left orphaned, only
these two had survived. He showed me their docked tails, a natural trait he
said, and shared their Spanish names, which I didn't understand, of course.
Counting these two, he said he now has ten dogs! Yikes!
It was then I realized what a cool photo he and his pups
would make so with his permission, I took a couple of shots and showed them to
him, gaining a big smile for my trouble. As he walked back to his house, he sat
the puppies down on the road and encouraged them to "venga," or come along behind him. It made a very cute
scene.
Winston and I soon turned around and hiked back toward home.
When I heard a pickup truck behind us we stepped off the road so it could pass,
but instead, it stopped and the old gentleman asked me to show his friends the
photos I had taken. He then asked if I could print copies for him, which I
readily agreed to do, hoping I would find time to get them back to him.
Yours Truly with our own puppy Winston
So this morning Layne, Winston and I retraced our steps from
yesterday, stopping by his house
with the prints. He invited us in, got the
puppies again and showed them to Layne, fairly beaming with pride as he told
the story of saving their lives, finding a way to feed them, keeping them warm
with an electric pad. He thanked us for the pictures and we bid him and his pups
adieu until we return in November.
And now, once again, I bid you adieu as well. Pura Vida!
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/
July 22, 2013 -- an auspicious date: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge,
gave birth to a baby boy, heir to the British throne (poor kid); the Pope
arrives in Brazil (yawn); there is a full moon and my Tarot deck worked its
magic for me. I was all ready to write a blog, complete with photos, when I
discovered that the transfer cable for my camera was not in its storage place.
How could that happen when I only use the thing here in my office and always
put it back in a small bag full of other cords? Where could it be? I looked
high and low literally, on shelves above, in cabinets below. I even called
Layne to ask if he had moved it somewhere before leaving on his trip, but he
had no clue.
The Six of Wands, Trust
Finally, in an act of metaphysical desperation, I did a
Tarot reading on the issue, asking three questions: How did it go missing?
Where is it now? And how can I find it? The three cards that came up were
mysterious and vague, as Tarot often is, but the last card, the Six of Wands,
seemed to offer a clear message: Trust, the card said. Trust the Universe and
trust yourself. So... trusting that indeed I do not remove the cable from my
office, I came back in here with a fresh eye and almost immediately spied the
black cord peeking through a plastic container where I keep bagged spices. I
had apparently scooped it up with the herbs when I put them away. As Layne put
it, "'Woo' strikes again!"
So lucky for you, I have photos to share of the last outing
of the Santa Eulalia gang, plus a couple of new groupies, Joni and Mike, and
occasional gang members Darlene and Glynn. Of course, we were missing my
darling Layne since he is on an emergency trip to Oregon to help care for his
sister Annie, who is struggling with a number of health issues. The toll on
family members as they share the load of caring for her reached a limit and
they had called asking him to come. He left two days later and will be gone
another three weeks, leaving me and Winston to take care of each other.
As you may have deduced from reading our various culinary
adventures, the Santa Eulalia gang has
Chef Chris and his sauces
several excellent chefs among its
members, one of whom is Chris, whose cooking skills are top-notch. When he
learned that Bar Las Brisas near his and Sue's home had a big grill available,
he got the inspiration to treat his local neighbors to some of his Hot Wings
and in the process get better acquainted, become a real part of the barrio. But, as these things often do, the idea grew to include the Santa Eulalia bunch and why not throw some of Marcial's sausages on the grill as well.
Chef Chris offered three different homemade sauces: the
mild, the picante and the "loco." All were outstanding but I really think they
mislabeled the loco. Seidy and I
had already agreed that the medium level, the so-called picante, was over-the-top hot. She and I were slugging beer,
tequila and ice water to cool our poor burning tongues. How could we possibly
stand to taste something even hotter? But when we finally broke down and
decided we owed it to ourselves to taste the loco, we found it milder than the medium. Chris assured
us that it was just our palates having gotten accustomed to the intense spices,
but I... don't... think...so.
Hot Wings comin' up!
But no complaints from this quarter! It was a very fun
afternoon with Sue serving plate after plate of the delicious morsels. As Chris and Sue, Stephen and Marcial offered
samples of hot wings and Italian sausages to the locals sitting at the bar, I
told Marcial he was trying to "go viral" at the barrio level. If
Ticos learn how good his sausage is, they will no doubt flock to his booth at
the feria.
Two Cute Bald Guys
Joni, Stephen, Bonnie & Mike
Bonnie & Joni share a laugh
All afternoon Las Brisas' dance music inspired our lovebirds
Marcial and Seidy to put on a little floorshow for us. Joni and I both took
videos of the couple and when she showed her footage to Marcial, he said that
was the very first time he had ever seen himself dancing. The wonders of modern
technology arrive belatedly in Costa Rica.
Poor Winston had to stay home alone while I was gone and needless
to say was overjoyed to see me when I returned about an hour after dark. The
next day my landlords/neighbors mentioned that he howled miserably while I was
away, so I guess he made his feelings quite clear on the subject of my being
gone at night. Since their dogs bark incessantly whenever they leave the house,
I'm not too concerned for their sake, only for Winston's. Pura Vida as applied
to dogs!
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
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.
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
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
Travel adventurer, organic foodie and cultural explorer, Kat Sunlove hopes to make her way to hidden jewels around the world and report her findings to you.
