Absolutely Beautiful Morning - Aug 2 & 3, 2012

This morning is the most gorgeous yet - sunny, warm breezes, lots of birds and butterflies, and quiet. It seemed as if we had more than the usual number of small birds: plus an eagle, the laughing hawk, several toucanes, at least 4 fiery billed aracari's, small and large parrots. It rained last night to this morning the air is fresh and drier.

The toucans are back making Mike happy. There were none, then just one, now we have a few but not as many as previous seasons. This one enjoys the fruits of the palm tree at our driveway entrance.

The pesote has not made an appearance since Greg left. Mike says we should have paid him for a longer contract.

We changed our mind about heading for Perez and decided to stay put. The day stayed beautiful until about 2 when the rains returned. By 4 a second storm rolled in with lots of wind. It looked as if the rain was erasing the world below our house.

Just before the storm rolled in the trucks started rolling up our road with materials for a wall Ron is building above. Truck number 3 loaded with cement block could not make it up our hill. And the hill above our house is even steeper. It never fails. Just as the roads are repaired they get ripped up.

This morning, Friday, we are getting organized to head out. I heard lots of monkeys this morning while I was drinking my coffee. They were in the direction of the valley and ridge below Las Nubes.

This and That - Aug 1, 2012

We tried this fruit at a local market, liked it, asked the name and then promptly forgot the answer. We brought some home and made a photo before eating them. Ricardo helped us out with the ID - "mangotan".

The fruit is white in side, soft tasting a bit like a white grape. The outside shell is really hard.
All things being equal, I'd rather have a pineapple.

Our real estate guy, Saul, stopped by yesterday with clients, a couple. Of course he did not call in advance so the house was as it was. That is, we had two ladders in the house poised for different projects. I don't think these two guys are our market but you never know. Saul actually called our neighbors, Karen and Frank, to tell them they would be stopping by for a look, but Karen and Frank are in San Jose. I think we were an afterthought. He saw our red truck, he stopped. It was also pouring rain, not the best time to see the view of the Osa Peninsula from our house.

Saul mentioned that the hot Zip Line is in the Osa. Greg, you might want to write that down for your next trip. Saul's assessment of the Hacienda Baru zip line was it was rather tame, but that you did see animals. It was PERFECT for me. I will not be going with Greg to the Osa Zip Line excursion.

Tomorrow is another holiday. This is a big religious holiday celebrating the Patron Saint of Costa Rica, La Virgin de los Angeles. Many Costa Ricans make a pilgrimmage to the cathedral in Cartago, and some make the last part of the journey on their knees. What is means for us is, "No Ricardo" in the morning. Who knows what we could get up to. :)

Adios Greg - July 30, 2012

Greg made his flight from Quepos without incidents. The weather cooperated and was actually rather cool with only a light wind. Perfect for flying.

We avoided paying $5 extra airport tax by avoiding the "time saving and convenience" of paying the tax in Quepos rather than standing in line in San Jose. It turns out when he got to San Jose there was one person in line in San Jose in front of Greg. But boy, that guy at the Quepos airport sure does hustle the gringos.

I am astonished that the Quepos airport charges another airport tax, $2 per person. What a ripoff.

The large gentleman on the right is the pilot. If he gets any wider he is going to have trouble getting through the door of his little plane.

We waved good bye to the departing aircraft and headed to Quepos to check out the Marina. We had never been. The marina looks very nice but it is suprising there are no small businesses around it, like restaurants or shops. Maybe they will come over time.  It looks as if the main reason for the Marina complex is the pier for big cruise ships, to make it easier for them to dock at Quepos. I suppose when there is a ship in port then the taxis will be in the area looking for fares. The marina is also where sport fishermen hook up with boats and captains. Quepos is a major sport fishing destination.

There is a beautiful little park at the end of the road that is worth checking out. Surprisingly, there is also a little theatre just before you arrive at the end of the pier.

Sightseeing to Rafiki Safari Lodge - July 29, 2012

After all the ATV action yesterday it seemed like a lower energy day was in order. Greg mentioned Rafiki, the African Safari style resort in the mountains above Silencio, along the Savegre River. Rafiki harnesses the power of the river for most of its electrical needs. You can rent African style tents with full luxury built in bathrooms at the rear. The tent sides roll up. It really is a nice combination of luxury and nature. We also wanted to inquire about the rafting excursions from Rafiki which include breakfast and lunch alongside the river. Here are some shots of the Rafiki grounds.

The pond below the main lodge, complete with two resident caiman (a bit like little alligators).

For those of you who haven't had a chance to see how bananas grow, this is a good reference photo I took on the way out. The blossom is at the bottom and hasn't opened yet. The bananas are up above the blossom. When the fruit is ripe, you cut the stock from above and hang the bananas from the flower end. That didn't make sense to us the first time but that is how it is done. Otherwise, the bananas fall off before they are ripened. As it is we have to duke it out with the birds and animals to get any.

Greg wanted one more swim and boogie boarding experience so we headed home to pick up his gear and headed to the beach. Greg was surprised to find the Pacific waters here warm. This time of year they are warm and violent, with all the storms.

ATV 4-Wheeling - July 28, 2012

Saturday dawned beautiful and sunny. Greg was up for more adventure so we headed to Uvita where he hooked up with an ATV group. They headed up into the mountains above Uvita, swam pools to waterfalls and generally had a good time. It DID start raining not long after they set off but everyone voted to keep going.

Meanwhile, Phyllis and Mike shopped the Uvita farmers market and bought a kilo of beautiful corvina for dinner. We also bought some hot sauce from Maria that really is hot! It is made with roasted peppers and tastes a lot like chipotle chilis.

Project Day - July 27, 2012

Enough of this tourist business. Time to knock off some projects a casa.

New shelf #1 in the big bodega.

Workers in the factory. I plan to call OSHA right away to report men working barefoot.

New plywood chair bottom to attempt to extend the life of the bamboo chairs. I forgot that we had a piece of plywood in our bodega behind the drawers.

New hanging rod, at least for small things that won't block the dehumidifier.

New shelf #2 in the big bodega over the desk. Good idea Gitti to reuse the old facia boards from the back of the house.

After all that hard work, we went out to dinner at Tico Gringo and watched the Olympics opening ceremonies. England really outdid herself.

Tomorrow, it is back to fun fun fun.

Mt. Chirripo - July 26, 2012

Bob and Gitti have been trying to get us to visit a hotel on the road to Mount Chirripo, the highest point in Costa Rica and National Park.On Thursday we drove about an hour out of San Isidro up into the mountains. The scenery was spectacular and the air was cool and fresh. We arrived at the end of the road where there is a sign marking the park's entrance. To get to the actual park entrance is a four mile hike in, and the walk to the top is estimated to be 4 hours. I'm not driven to scale Mt. Chirripo but I will be happy to return for a stay at the Pelicanos and hiking, Bob and Gitti, when it is hot hot here at the beach. San Gerardo de Rivas is a very pretty town near the top. The river was running strong and very beautiful. I don't know why none of us took a picture of it.

Before heading back down to San Isidro for a stop at the Feria (weekly farmer's market) we stopped for a drink at a little restaurant and hotel at the end of the road. No hiking for us today. My thighs are still aching from the zip line adventure from the previous day.

And we think that things are big in Texas! Check out this walking stick, she is bigger than a 7 1/2 woman's shoe. (Yes Ann, you may recognize those as formerly your tennis shoes. They live in Costa Rica now. They get around.)

Hacienda Baru - July 25, 2012

Finally after all these years visiting Costa Rica we decided to try a zip line canopy tour. We have been promising ourselves annually. This year we made good on our promises and in the nick of time too. The tour took us through lowland forest, secondary growth and primary growth forests. Hacienda Baru has been working on reforestation and maintenance of the remaining primary forest for the more than 40 years. We saw 2-toed sloth, 3-toed sloth, toucans and aracari close up. They appeared not to have developed a fear response to humans so we were quite close.

Here we are getting ready to go with David, one of our two guides. Since we were the first group of the morning at 8 am we were a small band, only two other people joined us, a honeymoon couple from Nevada.

The climb up the mountain was moderately strenous. I didn't think so at the time but my thighs told me the next day.

David and Pedro demonstrate how it is done.

Mike really is having a good time, despite the look on his face.

You have got to trust your catcher. At the end of the tour Baru offered us frozen scented towels to cool us down. We didn't expect such fancy treatment and  they were most welcome.

We followed up this fun with a visit to the snake and reptile park. Here are a couple of residents, a Caiman and a Giant Turtle. The turtle is not native to Central America.

This park has an impressive collection of snakes, but they were shy of our photographer.

Boys Day - July 24, 2012

Phyllis wanted some alone time and the boys were up for adventure so they headed out to Dominical to the Escaleras Waterfall and pool. This is a really pretty spot.

Yes, that is Greg climbing the falls to try out the rope swing.

He made it!

After they ran off a nice family from Kansas, they had the pool to themselves. There are not many tourists here right now in the Green Season. During the week the Ticos weren't around either.

The skies remained clear so Mike headed up to show Greg Las Nubes, an impressive, energy conservation-minded Bed and Breakfast directly above our house, vertically speaking. You can't actually see if from our house and they cannot see us, though Greg said he spotted Bob and Gitti's red roof. Phillipe, the owner, was gracious as always, though he was busy with some last minute details before some guests arrived. No one took any photos but here is a link if you'd like to check it out

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1483712-d1791236-Reviews-Las_Nubes_Natural_Energy_Resort-Playa_Matapalo_Province_of_Puntarenas.html

Never on Monday - July 23, 2012

Monday dawned a beautiful sunny day, the best yet. Our plan to take a tour of Manuel Antonio Park seemed blessed by the gods. Uh uh! We discovered that the park is not open on Mondays. We could still enjoy the free beach, have lunch, and admire the local scenery though, which we did.

Greg was surprised to find the Pacific ocean waters so warm. He prefers the Matapalo beach though, less rocky underfoot.

There are lots of entertainment choices for a fee at the beach in Manuel Antonio such as parasailing, pontoon raft rides around the bay. And if you just want to relax, well pura vida.....

Work for Food - July 22, 2012

Getting down to business, replacing the fans in the great room and the sala. After 10+ years one of the 2 fans in the great room was on its last legs. The plan is to put the one that is the better of the two in the sala, where the fan in that room as on its last legs too. So two new fans and one re-purposed.

I am relieved that Greg is here to help. Otherwise, it would be me up there on that ladder on the right and these fans are heavy.

Uh oh. Problem. One of the fans appears to have a defective switch. Since it is a long drive back to Lowes on Brodie in Austin, Greg decides to see if he can make it work. And voila, the Magician is able to reseat the board and the connections once again all connect. Mission accomplished - 2 new fans and one re-purposed.

Under the bad news category the only thing that has not been able to be fixed is Greg's Aero Bed mattress. It had a hole, which we patched with some roofing tape Eddie (of Eddie and Betty) came up with. The patch kit with the matress was worthless. But in the midst of victory the mattress suffered a fatal error. The valve came apart and when reassembled the clasp snapped. Bummer. That means that Greg is consigned to the foam mattresses on the built in cement sofas. So far it hasn't seemed to change his sleep pattern any.

Later that evening, this guy tried to force his way in through the back door. We ushered him out with a stern warning.

Ants, Again - July 23, 2012

We were sitting on our front balcony, Mike, Greg and I, when suddently Greg glances left and says hey there are...Whoa!...there are a LOT of ants over here. This is the 4th sweep of the army ants we have experienced in less than a week, and the first one for Greg. I don't think that you can see much in this picture.

We just tried to keep them out of the house. They mainly cooperated, though they did not know that they were cooperating.

I am just posting random stuff this morning while I am waiting for my turn in the shower. We are heading off to Manuel Antonio and then plan to stop off at Rafiki on the way back.

This flower is somewhere in the lily family I think. I collected some roots years ago from the side of the road up in the mountains. Beatrice and I were on a mission to scrounge will plants. I always think of here when I see it, but I rarely see it bloom. Maybe I have finally found the spot where it will enjoy growing.  

Here Mike is impersonating a peasant. I call it his Milagro Beanfield Look. We had just returned from our walk down the hill. He looked even funnier from the back with his waders and turned up hat.



Yard Sale - July 21, 2012

People sell all kinds of handmade things at the Uvita market, jewelry for example, and the table on the left is "The Pickle Lady". I'll let you guess for yourself what she sells.

They let us set up our yard sale table at the back which was great news because we didn't have to navigate the scary steps, and neither did our potential customers. With these two guys hanging around it was a miracle that I sold anything. They look like Gringo Bouncers.

At this point in the sale we have sold nearly everything that we brought.

I just had to take this a photo of this woman. She is the wife or girlfriend of one of the vegetable sellers. I was interested in her sense of fashion. Costa Rican women have gotten on board with the tight, short skirts and tall boot style shoes in a big way. When we were here in January, their obsession was big purses, skin tight pants, and flat shoes. Obviously, they read fashion magazines.