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Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts

Friday, August 30, 2013

The Hard Life of a Costa Rica Retiree


The life of a semi-retiree is not easy, no matter what you may have heard. First of all, there are all those books to read. And don't think reading is just a luxury of time on your hands. Hardly. For instance, it was important for me to read Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson in advance of our trip to Galveston with my mother later this month. How else to understand and really appreciate what that city went through in September of 1900 when a massive hurricane struck the totally unprepared island?

And then there are the dinner parties to prepare for or attend. Last night, for instance, with Darlene and Glynn coming over, there was chicken to marinate, cucumber salad to prep and garlic toasts to cook for dipping in hummus. Then tonight we'll be entertaining Marcial and Seidy, as we do most every Friday night. So today I face preparing a salad, working on a new baked French Fried Potato dish and shaping the hamburger "steaks" not to mention frying the bacon to go on top. But even then, I'm not done, for tomorrow is another big Santa Eulalia gang aka "10:27 Club" bash, a Labor Day BBQ at Chris and Sue's house. For that, I have to cook enough baked beans for 14 people. I'm thinking of offering my services to "Iron Chef" on the Food Network!

What a thrill to see a humpback breach!
(Photo courtesy of NPS.gov.)
Keep in mind I'm not a completely retired individual. I still work hard at my travel writing, especially taking those great mostly-free trips that Layne and I enjoy so much. A few days after our friend Brittany left, Layne and I headed out to Dominical, one of our favorite beach towns here in Costa Rica, to stay again at one of our favorite hotels, Villas Rio Mar, a comfortable and affordable eco-lodge. It was Villas Rio Mar that invited us back, this time to take a complimentary whale and dolphin watching tour. It seems they got such a good response from my last story on their hotel in The Costa Rica News (TCRN) that they wanted me to write another piece, this time focused on the upcoming whale season, when hundreds of humpback whales visit the shores of Marino Ballena National Park just down the road from Dominical. Watch for my story on that trip in this Sunday's edition of TCRN.

Then there's our puppy Winston. Yes, he is indeed a great source of joy and his antics make for some funny scenes, but raising a young Lab is not all fun and games. There's his training, for example, which I'm happy to report is now going very well since the addition of "treats" to our curriculum. Boy, does he pay attention to me NOW when I say "heel." He's improved so much we even felt comfortable taking him out with the gang for a hike last weekend, him in a borrowed harness and extendable leash. He loved it! 
Hiking through El Pueblo
Sniff, sniff. And what is THIS?
So many good sniffs to be had, so many new sights to see and so much trouble to try and get into. But with Layne and I heading to the US in a couple of weeks, we have been desperate to figure out the best place for him to stay while we're gone for two months.
"The gang" at lunch after the hike
L to R: Kat, Darlene, Layne, Sue, Chris, Glynn, Bonnie & Stephen (is he asleep?!)
In a major test of one such option, we took Winston up to Chris and Sue's last Monday for a trial run to see how he would get along with the two dogs, Turley and Lola, who live next door. They actually belong to Carmen and Roberto but with them out of the country, Chris and Sue are providing foster care. Another reason for the visit was to try out some of Chef Chris' fabulous homemade pizza. I even got a turn at "working" that dough, per Chris' instructions. And the end result was oh so good.
Yours Truly "doughing" it
Might not be pretty but sure was good! 
Winston seemed to have a great time, too, once Turley stopped "attacking" him as the interloper he was. But they soon discovered how much fun it could be to have a playmate and they spent the rest of the afternoon running and playing all over the large property. 
Those blurs are dogs, Winston the dark one
We are cautiously optimistic that Winnie will be happy there with our good friends and his new doggie pals. Layne and I have been majorly stressed over this issue. Well, Layne doesn't "stress" about much; I do the stressing for both of us. We are so grateful to our friends Darlene and Glynn who cared for him when we went to Dominical, although there were a few problems in his house-training. Now we feel pretty good about him staying with Chris and Sue while we're away.

So if you think we're just hanging out down here in Costa Rica, laying on the beach, reading books, enjoying good dinner parties and hikes... well, you're right. But it ain't easy having so much fun! 

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 

Monday, June 20, 2011

Cute Dogs, Good Golf and a Dramatic Veterans Memorial



Sergeant Preston
Packing… again. Ugh. Tomorrow I return to Texas to see my mom for a couple of weeks before our Fourth of July flight back to Costa Rica. Layne is staying here in Portland for those two weeks, at least. His sister Annie has suffered a couple of health issues of late, prompting Layne to consider the possibility of remaining here a bit longer to help her and her husband Jim -- as much in caring for their beloved little Bishon Frise, Sergeant Preston, as anything else. Tough duty. 

Knowing Layne, he will still find time for golf. We enjoyed a beautiful day on the greens recently with our nephew Jeff and his wife Lori at Tri Mountain Golf Club in Ridgefield, Washington. The name of the course is derived from spectacular views of three volcanic mountains on the horizon, including the infamous Mount St. Helens, which in May of 1980 experienced a catastrophic eruption, which literally blew the top of the peak into the stratosphere. Now, instead of its previously rounded dome, the mountain is flattened out in a poignant reminder of that deadly explosion.
Mount St. Helens from the 16th hole
Layne in the bunker
Personally, I can hardly wait to return to Costa Rica and the great weather, good friends and relaxed life we enjoy there. We have certainly enjoyed some happy times in our travels here in the States but the stresses of packing, unpacking, searching for lost clothes, books, glasses, sleeping on couches or floors, the expense of renting cars and eating out, all combine to add a film of fatigue to daily activities. It will be something of a relief to be back in my own comfortable bed, cooking in my own kitchen, eating mango and papaya and keeping an eye out for monkeys in the trees. Oh, and reading. Lots of reading, thanks to that wonderful free lending library at Kay’s Gringo Café in Atenas.

Washington County Library
But my reading habits will be changing now that I have purchased a Nook. Barnes & Noble just came out with a less expensive version of their high-end color Nook, and it seems perfect for my needs. Already I have downloaded a dozen or more free books from the BN.com website and I’m pretty wowed by the ease of use of this thing. With the new “e-ink” technology instead of a backlit LCD display, the screen will be easily visible for reading outdoors by the swimming pool. And unlike Amazon’s Kindle, the Nook reads text in the formats used by most libraries, offering me an almost unlimited collection of the world’s literature from which to choose. Along with my old Placer County, California, library card, I now have a Washington County, Oregon, card and hope to get a Tom Green County, Texas, card while I’m visiting my mom.

With all those literary options, it may be difficult to find time for travel writing but it won’t be for lack of subjects. On this trip alone, we have encountered some fascinating travel destinations, including a haunting veterans’ memorial just outside of Weed in Northern California, that’s worth a mention here. At the suggestion of our friends Penny and Joel (see my last post of our visit), we kept an eye out for the roadside sign they had described as we left their ranch in Central Oregon heading for California last week. Fortunately, they had pinpointed the location well or we might have easily missed the unobtrusive signboard.

Hot LZ Memorial Wall (photo from website)
The Veterans Living Memorial Sculpture Garden, located on 136 acres of forest in Siskiyou County, is a stunning collection of eleven huge metal sculptures by artist and veteran Dennis Smith. Used as a gathering place to honor veterans on Memorial Day and Veterans Day when names are added to an impressive granite wall, the garden labyrinth memorializes different aspects of warfare, including prisoners of war or missing in action, nurses, peaceful warriors, the wounded and coming home. One large piece set in the center of the maze asks the eternal question: Why?


The Nurses

Coming Home
Why?
Soaring ten to twelve feet in height and silhouetted against nature’s background of trees and mountains, the sculptures dominate the landscape. Traversing by foot or car along gravel trails from one circular venue to the next, the scenes are unsettling in their dramatic impact. It is a moving and memorable tribute to those who have fought our nation’s battles. If you ever drive along Highway 97 from Weed, don’t miss it.