A Day at the Beach!

After two years of living in Costa Rica and being kept very busy with the designing and redesigning our house to fit our budget and learning about growing coffee, we finally were able to spend a day at the beach thanks to our friends Guy and Maryse.  They promised that they knew of a wonderful beach just before Jaco and we needed to take a trip!!  On the way we passed over the Tarcoles River and had to stop to see the Crocks.  This one particular spot is know for a large population and we were not disappointed.  Fortunately, we were viewing them from a very high bridge!  They were huge and many and we hoped they didn't know the beach we were heading to not far away!

Having 4 wheel drive we drove and Maryse packed a feast including Pina Coladas, wine, salad and sandwiches.  Maryse and Guy lived in the U.S. for 30 years but are French. Since meeting them, we have enjoyed some wonderful French cuisine thanks to Maryse and her generous offers to feed us.

Don & Guy enjoying their Pina Coladas and the spectacular beach.  The road in is a bit rough but that also makes for a very private location with few other sunbathers.  Because of high tide we were able to sit under the wonderful shade just off the shore and relax, eat and chat.  There were waves just big enough for body surfing and it was delightful to float and surf in perfect temperatures.

We had a natural clothes rack along with our natural shade and could not have asked for anything better.  The water was clean and warm!  The beach was sandy and clean and the temperature perfect!  It was a beautiful day although, not without the usual "unusual experience."  Maryse & Guy have a GPS which we plugged into our old car to help us navigate as Costa Rica is known for no road signs!  Shortly after getting on the road, we noticed that our electric windows stopped working and all were down except for Guy's.  That was fine with us as on the way down it became warmer and the breeze was refreshing.  However, upon arriving we realized that we could not lock our car!!  Surprise, there was a man there parking cars (about 5 at this point) and he said he would keep a close watch on our car!  Feeling o.k. with this to some extent, we took everything of value out of the car to the beach with us and decided to worry about the problem later!  

We set up our blanket and this was the view of our canopy.  

It was a beautiful, warm sunny day and the picnic was to die for.  We did a little shell and coral hunting, lots of swimming and eating and just enjoyed the day with our friends.  As we are in the rainy season, the inevitable happened--it started thundering and lightening and threatening rain.  Don & Guy were down the beach exploring one of the coves as the tide had receded.  Maryse and I were wondering where to go to avoid the lightening--not under a tree, not in the water.....

Don & Guy finally returned and we packed up and ran to the car in a downpour!  Oh, yes, remember the problem with the car--the windows are down!!  Yes, the windows were still down and the rain was pouring in but with no option, we all got in and headed home.  Guy, who had no fresh air on the way down was thrilled not to be drenched with rain like the rest of us on the way home.  Maryse and I tried hanging towels up to lessen the damage which helped some.  About half way home, we stopped at a gas station and were able to have the problem of our windows fixed.  A smart young man came up with just the right fuse and we were on the road again!   All in all it was a great day and the little window problem only made it more memorable.  Looking forward to our next visit--soon I hope!!

Puntarenas With Friends to Buy Fish!

One day in July we were invited to visit Puntarenas with friends to do a little exploring and buy some fresh off the boat fish!  We arrived at the docks and wandered around seeing the sites before deciding where to purchase our catch.

There are boats of all sizes.

Guy adjusting his sandal and Don taking in the view!

O.K. Maryse what do you see?  Beyond Maryse is a ferry that crosses the Nicoyan Bay to the Peninsula.  

 

This part of Puntarenas is very different from the area we visited on our first trip.  It is very much a fishing village with all the usual trappings.  These are just a few of the different boats moored to the docks and floating in the water.

Huge docks, large enough for parking. After a snack at a local restaurant and the exploring of the stores on the main street, we purchased lots of fish and headed home!   By the way, the fish has been a wonderful treat that we are still enjoying.  I'm sure there is another trip to Puntarenas for more fish!

A "New" Rental for the Roses

It has been awhile since I've blogged.  Moving was part of the reason but the big one was that we lost Skeeter!  We have such a big hole in our hearts it has been difficult for me to write.  I miss him terribly on my walks and we miss having him in our lives.  Losing him for the second time and knowing there is no return has been difficult.  RIP Skeeter, we love you!

It was the end of June this year when we moved about 100 meters to a new rental which includes 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, a garage, security, view, "sewing room" (which I have put to good use) and the usual living, dining (with table and chairs) and kitchen.  Just before our move here, we took a trip to Turrubares to visit our builder friend, as we needed a bed at our new home.  We met at his house and visited there awhile.  Then to his parent's house where we spent a good part of the day eating and visiting with new friends and old.  In the afternoon, with clouds rolling in, the sound of thunder and an hour or so of downpour, we decided it was time to head home.  Our last trip to Turrubares it was necessary to pass through the rio (river) to get to our friends home.  Fortunately, this trip we were able to use the new bridge to cross some very deep and turbulent waters.  Unfortunately, the little tributary, which we also had to cross, had no bridge and was a little more difficult!

As we approached what we thought was a small stream, the water was rising and flowing. Not only was the water in the stream bed, but creeping onto the road we were traveling.  Our friends were ahead of us driving a little Toyota Echo and halted behind another car causing us to stop also!

We all got out of the car and

watched as the water continued to rise and come closer and closer to where we had parked.  On the other side, we watched as others sat waiting for the situation to improve.

The first car to stop was our gauge for how high the water was rising.

But one look at the white caps and the speed of the flow convinced us that we needed to be patient before crossing, even with our 4 x 4.  Both sides of the river were now backing up with vehicles waiting to cross.

This was about the high point.  From here the water slowly began to recede. After about a little more than an hours delay, and watching the first brave souls pass through, we were headed home.

The 4 wheelers went first.

Then some horses.

And, finally it was safe enough for the little Toyota Echo to pass and we followed behind.  All in all, a fun adventure and a pretty common experience in Costa Rica in the rainy season.

The result of our trip to Turrubares is our new bed!  Don made a trip down to pick it up and carefully drove it home.  Part on top and part inside our new bed arrived in perfect condition and we have truly enjoyed sleeping on it since our move!

Good job Don!!

Although our rental came with a refrigerator we purchased a larger one--we do like to eat.  Errol offered his truck to pick the refrigerator up for which we were grateful.  The men loaded the refrigerator while the ladies watched, and we headed out the door of the owners garage---almost!

Unfortunately, the refrigerator was too tall to go through the doorway!  If nothing else, Costa Ricans are resourceful and having encountered a similar problem, air was removed from Errol's tires and we were soon on our way!!

The view we have is similar to the one from the other house and from our property.  All though we look at the same area, because of angles, hills and other things, we always get a little different scene!

The first week here, while walking up our hill to the main road I came across this beautiful double rainbow and had to share it!  

Friends, Fun and Flowers!

Today's blog is a combination of a number of different things that we get to experience living here in Costa Rica, but don't necessarily require a full blog page.  

First off, I would like you to meet my neighbor and young friend, Marisol, and her two cousins, Martin and Sergio.  Marisol stopped by one day and asked if I would help her with her English studies and, so our friendship began.  Not only have I helped her with English, but she has helped me with my Spanish.  She and her cousins are all taking a very intensive one year course to learn English before going on to University.  Their next step, after the year of English studies, is to work in a call center in San Jose.  A "Call Center" is one of those places that takes care of customer complaints for companies in the U.S.  I'm sure you've run into one or two!  I now have a greater appreciation for the individuals doing that job! These are very bright, ambitious and fun young people and I'm pleased we are friends.  On Fridays we all take the bus to San Ramon which arrives about an hour before all of our classes begin.  For them this is an everyday occurrence.  I on the other hand only go once a week to class!  I head to the coffee shop to have a cup of great coffee and study some before class.  Lately, Marisol has been joining me and we are able to do some studying together or just chat.  The boys have also stopped by on occasion.  I not only have an opportunity to work on my Spanish, but because Marisol speaks and understands English so well, I also learn a lot about people in Berlin, Customs and interesting things about Costa Rica!

We've gone for walks and invited other family members to join our chat.  One Saturday Marisol, Martin and Sergio and I walked to our finca.  It was a great walk full of Spanish and English conversation, beautiful views, fresh oranges and fun company.  

Here Martin and Marisol are checking out something very important on their cellphone.  Probably translating some word.  The young people here are so proficient with their phones.  They use them for everything and very efficiently.  I am even doing some texting since meeting them.

I think Sergio is watching them try to figure things out on the cell phone!  Maybe!

Here all three are posing in front of one of our spectacular views.  I am always pleasantly surprised by the young people I've met here who have a serious appreciation of the beauty that surrounds them.  Thanks for a great walk, hope we can do it again! :)

This photo isn't the greatest but it gives you an idea of the size of the place where we went to play Bingo.  Our friends took us to this event and mostly we had a great time.  They were raising money for soccer and the turn out was incredible.  What was more incredible was that it lasted for 6 hours!!!  By the time it was over, we were not even sure what Uno, and Dos were on our cards!!  We were amazed not only at the length of the event but that no one left until it was all over!!!  Believe me, we were ready to head home a bit sooner!  Why you ask would anyone sit for 6 hours and play Bingo??  Well, there was food to purchase, and raffle tickets to buy and all the drawings came at the very end.  Tico's must love to win prizes, that was all we could figure!!  There was also entertainment which I'll share in the following video.

Eight years ago when we first came to Costa Rica and impulsively invested in our future here, there was another piece of property that we purchased in addition to our coffee finca.  This particular property was located in a new development called Butterfly Dance and was a little less than 2 acres.  It is a beautiful lot with a spectacular view of the Nicoya Peninsula, the Nicoya Bay and the Pacific just like our view from the finca.  The difference is that it is a bit closer to the ocean so everything appears larger.  The almost 2 acres are located in a little town called Rio Jesus and this is how we came across this very unusual house.  In the 8 years that we have owned the Butterfly Dance property we had not returned and were unsure exactly how to get there so...we went looking.  Although we knew which direction to go the exact turn off had eluded us in past attempts.  It was decided that maybe we had not gone far enough.  The property entrance is just off the Pista (main highway) and we were right, we had not gone far enough in the past.

Who ever thought you'd see a castle on a back road in Costa Rica!!

When we finally arrived we discovered a number of changes!  The main entrance road had been improved and Butterfly Dance is now a gated community with a "caretaker".  There are houses, which did not exist before, and the roads are much better.  The lot is still there, still beautiful and sporting the same spectacular view.  We considered our trip a success and now that we know how to get to our property, maybe we can get it sold!  Our finca is more than enough property for us to take care of so we have decided to sell our Butterfly Dance property!  Anyone interested??

It is not unusual for us to have birds flying around inside our house.  We love having our windows open and this is the reason we often have visitors.  One day, however, we had our first hummingbird.  There are many outside in the yard attracted all the flowers and, even though they come up to the windows on occasion, we have never had one in the house.  She was beautiful and it was wonderful to see such a special creature up close.  As much as we enjoyed her visit, she needed to be on here way after a very short time.

There is always something going on in San Ramon.  One Friday when we were running our usual errands we came across all these unusual bikes that were advertising for a show to happen in the near future.  Knowing we wouldn't be back for the show I took some photos!

Can you believe the size of this one?







Back to Berlin, there's always something going on here also.  In fact, we are always amazed at the activity this little village generates.  The following videos are of "local" skateboarders riding our steep hills!..   It scares us to death to watch them and we wonder why we don't see more bodies on the side of the road.  The riders cruse past our house at a very fast pace and are carried back up the hill in a friend's pickup or on the back of a motorcycle.  This isn't an every weekend occurrence, but it does happen frequently!   Although the videos are not long, it took Don a good chunk of a Sunday to get the shots.  Enjoy!

Now for the "Flowers" part of this blog.  I'm starting with the flowers that create our coffee.  They bloomed a few weeks ago and only last for a little over a week and then the berries start forming and will grow until we start picking at the end of the year.  The have a fantastic aroma and are beautiful to see in the large quantities of a coffee finca.

 

Orchids grow all around us here.  We have a number of different kinds growing on the finca.  These belong to a friend who has a very green thumb!  The one on the left is one we have on the finca, however, the unusual white one does not.

I'm not sure what this flower is but I came across it in San Ramon and have since seen it here in Berlin.  Unfortunately, my flower book is packed ready to move so I cannot even try to look it up and I had no luck on line.

This flower is called Amapola and is very common here.  This particular variation is a double --  wish ours were doubles!!  They come in many colors and we are currently trying to replace all our Cana with Amopola on the finca.  

Puntarenas Up Close!

 The first 4 photos of this blog show our view of Puntarenas we have enjoyed for the past 20 months from our front window.  Puntarenas is the little spit of land on the right side of most of the photos that juts into the Nicoya Bay.  We've enjoyed watching all the ships that come and go.  And, the view is constantly changing with the weather and time of day.  In the evening, when the sun goes down, the lights of the city and neighboring towns create a spectacular scene. One Sunday awhile back we decided we need to check out the city we knew so well from a distance but not at all up close!

It took us about an hour and a half to get to the Puntareans area and we discovered it seemed as dirty and grungy as everyone had told us!!  Along our way to the end of the spit, we stopped at a large lot that appeared to be a type of marina.  Believe me, I use the word loosely!  What looks like gravel on the ground is, probably gravel, but covered with trash.

 The "Pier" was also covered with all kinds of trash including, paper, electronics and, of course, lots of miscellaneous plastic!

There was a couple fishing of the edge of the seawall and we got out and walked around to get a closer look.                                       

There were a number of boats docked near by.  We weren't sure we would want to ride in too many of them and wondered how long they had been there and if they were used.

These boats looked a little more seaworthy and to us appeared to be shrimp boats.

What do you think, Jimmy, shrimp boats or some other type of fishing boat?

 As we were were leaving the "Marina", we spotted some local artists work on the wall.  It was actually a bright spot in a pretty grubby place.  We decided we preferred the graffiti to the old microwaves, washing machines and who knows what other kinds of trash!

As we progressed to the end of the Puntarenas Peninsula, we were pleasantly surprised to see a number of attractive changes being made.  Beautiful walkways and lamp posts along the waterway.  A very pleasant place to walk and enjoy the many distant islands and the Nicoya Peninsula.  Unfortunately, none of the many ships and boats were visible that we enjoy so much from our Berlin window.

A lighthouse was being restored along the boardwalk and added a lot of charm to our experience.  Across the street, although well done but not so picturesque, was a huge, many faceted swimming pool.  It was completely fenced in and was a private club of some kind.  Sorry, no photo all I could get was the fence!

 Just to the right of the lighthouse you can see a cart of typical Costa Rican food that was being sold.

As we looked out to sea we saw turbulent waters and a small vessel.

Behind Don and to the center of the photo you can see the ferry that takes people to the Nicoya Peninsula.   With my fear of ferries, I'll be taking the road to the Nicoya Peninsula thank you very much!

We ate lunch out side this little restaurant at the corner and were disappointed to discover a number of beachfront options on our way out of town!  Maybe next time!

Fortunately, the view across the street was of a beautiful Bougainvillea. And, a wonderful tree growing up through a brick sidewalk.

Heading out of town, we discovered a number of beaches along the side of the road.  Puntarenas is not know for having great beaches and we probably wouldn't choose to spend the day on one.  However, as we passed by, there were some people enjoying the day without feeling crowded!

 

As you can see, it was a bit windy and cloudy but the temperature was perfect.  All in all we enjoyed our little adventure to Puntarenas and now when we look out our front window we will actually have an idea what we are looking at!  Also, it was nice to see someplace other than Berlin, San Ramon and Palmares!