Some Local Views....

As writing is quite a chore, although I'm getting surprisingly adept at one fingered, right handed typing, I'm adding a bunch of random captioned photos.

These large colorful, signs have been cropping up
all over Costa Rica luring in tourists and locals
for photos.

Even Pavones (home of the world's second longest
left wave) has a sign

Not only does the sign light up at night, it has a
Christmas tree buddy, that might be up all
year - because that's what happens in CR

Golfito is getting ready for electric cars

One of two locomotives rusting away in Golfito.
These once brought bananas from deep in
the jungle to the docks for worldwide 
distribution

Small churches like this can be found all over rural areas.

The new "gypsy caravan" campground down the street.
Glamping is the new catch word

Another new addition to Pavones is this campgroun

Chepe's new and improved dock/marina

Crossing the road on the electrical wire a three toed sloth 

This is the homemade barge for moving equipment by boat.
More common than you'd think because many homes and 
resorts around Golfo Dulce can only be accessed by boat.

My Diminished World

Luckily, for me, my perch on the world is quite delightful. I love watching the world go by - vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians, horses and the occasional herd of cows. Even though I can't hold binoculars or a camera, there are a myriad of birds, lizards, dogs and people that come and go. 

I’ve been watching a house wren nest in our carport. The last week before the chicks fledged those poor parents have been continually coming and going from dawn until dusk with beaks full of insects and grubs that their young noisily consumed. And then one morning - silence. They literally "flew the coop." Meanwhile, there is very loud mouthed isthmus wren that lives nearby who has been vandalizing one of my hanging baskets for its straw.  It is building a nest close by.  I’m sure when I get back in March there will be nests all over the yard,  which is very exciting for me.

Cara Caras are very common. Often seen on the roads
feasting on lizards or insects  

Toucans often travel in loose pairs, so when one
calls, its mate/friend will respond nearby

 Meanwhile, Back at the Boatyard….

Eli and his son, Josue have diligently cleaned, sanded and
scraped the topsides and the hull of Ray's boat. Finally in
early December it was primed and painted. 

Ray’s sailboat is finally painted!! After months of sanding, filling multitudes of dings and gouges, gel coating, more sanding and filling, the primer coat and final top coat is complete. It looks great and gives us hope that someday it will be back in the water again. Ray is holding off on replacing the old engine (which is sitting in Eli’s brother’s back yard) until the CR paperwork is completed. This could take a while, but it gives us plenty of time to get the interior repairs done and find an engine. Hopefully a used one in good condition……. but maybe a brand new one.

 A New TV

It all began with our one little bat that lives in our bodega (think garage) for a couple of years. Maybe it was him/her, or maybe a friend. But someone was hanging out on a wire at night time above our dishes and pooping. Not acceptable! I decided that I was going to tie up that wire so the bat didn’t have anywhere to hold onto. Unbeknownst to me the wire was live. I tied it to a nearby metal support.  Later we turned the television on and all of a sudden the screen went dark. Ray was elected to investigate since he’s tall. 

After getting zapped a couple of times we figured that probably the electrical short had wiped out the television. We bought ourselves a brand new television which is a very big upgrade on the one we had before because now we can get Netflix, YouTube and more we don’t even know about yet! Our little “Batty” watches us with little beady mouse eyes when we go into the bodega. Sometimes on our nocturnal pees we’ll hear a little flutter and feel a little wind going by our faces as he/she wings by. Sometimes his "buddies" join him in a nighttime fiesta when we have excess ripe bananas. They land briefly for a gulp of soft sweet fruit before swooping off into the blackness.  

Learning New Things

For my latest trick...... I managed to step off the bed last month, lose my balance and fall full weight onto my left wrist. This resulted in an excruciating 1 1/2 hrs drive on the lumpy bumpy road to the Golfito hospital. One of my more stupid, and might I say painful endeavors. Anyway, the doctors hustled me in, patched me up and my new fashion statement includes this extremely heavy plaster cast for a month. Looks like I'll be able to exploit this for a while and have Ray wait on me. (He still owes me after last year when he was sick). 

I’m now learning to use my right hand - which I’m told is good for the brain. Ha! It’s incredible how spastic I am and how little my right hand can really do. But, I have no choice. Certainly a humbling experience. I’ve discovered I have to put my “bad” hand first into every sleeve while undressing and dressing. I can “hold” a jar or bottle between my legs and grip the top with the right hand. Brushing my teeth is an adventure as my left hand waves sympathetically as my right hand saws away at my teeth. Ray finally bought me an electric toothbrush, which is a huge help. I can’t believe how uncoordinated I am but I’m getting better as time goes on. But, as Terry often says, "At least I have an arm, wrist......)

This has become my official "office."  Great views of the garden,
the birds and traffic going by, and shelf for 
computer, phone, snacks, etc..

 Rainy Season

Where the road falls into a ravine, locals place sticks or branches
in the hole as a caution sign

Arriving in mid-October coincides with the height of Costa Rica’s rainy season - often considered their winter. Although we have had a number of prolonged deluges, a lot of the downpours occurred at night, leaving the days somewhat dryer. Usually the rains taper off by early December, but as of this writing (Dec. 25), they’re still going strong. It’s wonderful to see everything green and flourishing. And, I have been having a ball planting, trimming and designing new micro jardins. 

Lots of red, sticky, clay-like mud. Stains everything!

The casualty of the rains, aside from my war on mildew, are the roads. Every year at this time, the potholes grow deeper, the mud squishier and “moguls” develop - usually around the holes. At one point the local bus couldn’t manage to climb a short, steep incline nearby. After numerous running starts and skids, the passengers got out and collected rocks along the road to fill the holes and provide traction. (in a steady rain, of course) When this didn’t work, the bus was towed out. After that the bus had to drop its passengers off before the hill. This meant some folks were still up to 8 - 10 km away from their destination. There was a lot of ride sharing going on for a while. For us with a 4x4 every trip out of town took an extra 30-45 minutes longer. 

Another sign of my convalescing diminished life. I've been watching the
road crew as they thunder by with their heavy equipment.

As the rains are subsiding now the “muni” (municipal) road repair fleet has arrived. I felt like welcoming the troops back from war last week as a convoy of five dump trucks full of gravel, a grader, several backhoes, and a roller steamed past the house. I stood waving with thumbs up as the drivers grinned at the “gringa.” Since then the calle has improved dramatically.

I usually have my trusty watchdogs with me as i spend most of
my time in Ray's big armchair on the deck

Water, Water, Everywhere…

I’m starting to make a mental list of gardening, organizing and cleaning chores. Once we have water. Meanwhile, we are showering out of buckets and cooking and cleaning with soda bottles of water. It’s ironic that the frequent downpours ensure the rivers and streams are fully loaded.

So, for my welcome back -  an occasional trickle of tap water, and bottles of “imported” water. It took a couple of visits by a local neighbor to clear out the muck in the “tanque,” which collects the water before it reaches our wonky network of tubes and pipes, often connected by wrapped motorcycle inner tubing and string. It’s the Tico way.

Cleaning Obsession……

Five days after my return - WATER!!! Finally! I went on a rampage. All the damp clothing and bedding that had been piling up was treated to the full spa treatment - a little bleach, drying in the patchy sunlight and stored away in dry containers. We disassembled the bed, and cleaned it thoroughly, along with the entire sleeping area, walls, ceiling and floor, while the mattress was treated to a sunbath. Mildew - GONE!  Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that give one pleasure. 

The Next Challenge….

My “Mrs. Clean” compulsions fulfilled, I moved on to my next challenge. We took our second trip to Golfito a few days ago, braving the enormous potholes, washed out gullies and deep mud pits on the local roads. We took care of some business matters, checked in on the progress of the boat (all good), had a favorite breakfast, loaded up with “imported water,” and headed home. I steadily became more and more dizzy and nauseous on the way, first attributing it to the jostling and lurching of the car. By the time we arrived home I was married to the toilet for hours. Every movement, smell and sound created another wave of queasiness, that finally diminished four days later. 

I’m attributing this unpleasant episode to a “bug” of some kind, (viral, bacterial, parasitic???) as Ray and I ate exactly the same food and he was unscathed. However, I will probably never eat huevos rancheros (fried eggs smothered in a (formerly) delicious spicy tomato sauce) again. 

PS: I picked up a treatment of anti- parasitic medication, just in case. Many locals here give themselves a treatment once a year as a preventative measure. Interestingly, when I looked up the drug - nitazoxanide - it is not only used worldwide as an effective anti-parasitic, but also as an anti-viral, and even being looked at to combat Covid-19. I’m finally feeling back to normal - 4 days later.

Shrinking world - With my various "ailments" I have spent countless
 hours watching the plants grow and birds at the feeder. 

They Keep on Coming…

Having recovered from the stomach ailments. I started back to my beach walks. One day during a high tide, I was forced to walk along a wooded path near the beach. I unwittingly disturbed a bee nest, which resulted in me tearing through the underbrush with a few dozen bees in pursuit. I managed to slip and twist my foot, which left me nursing a sprained ankle for several days. It did force me to get my photos and writing together and actually publish some blog entries, as well as study espanol with my bandaged foot in the air. 

Once recovered, I overdid the gardening last week - too much digging and heavy lifting, so I’m feeling a little creaky these days. But the plants are looking great!

My little sanctuary. I've been planting, transplanting, and seeding.
Not quite sure what I'll do with them all when they
mature. But there's always the farm property for the overflow.

The coconut palms we planted for shade a few years ago are
doing great. Will we keep them as they start dropping 10lb
boulder nuts on the roof? 

One palm bites the dust..... Heart of palm
salads, palmita.....delicious

Future bananas

 Pura Vida, Back to a Quieter Life…..

After the last few weeks of putting boats, an rv, and vehicles to bed for the winter, last minute visits with friends and family that I won’t be seeing for months, and traveling to CA, NC, FL and finally CR, I spent a very mellow relaxing first day home. I leisurely unpacked, read the news, organized my sh*t, and took a beach walk with my favorite human and canine buddies. Cousins and neighbors, Maleska and Briana, who are quite good friends as they are now the rich old age of seven are with us. Gone are the squabbles and rivalry of the past, replaced by a shared exuberance for life and comradeship of family. 

Dabbling with "Abuela-hood" (grandmother)

The girls often wander over and hang out with us. I sometimes come up with a garden or baking project they can help with, which they adore. I also have some coloring books and card games. Although more and more they show up with their phones and play video games. A sign of the times....

Chattering constantly, they sprint through the foam washing up the playa, climbing up on rocks and driftwood. Meanwhile, the dogs trot along sniffing out interesting odors and tearing after the occasional shorebird. We take the (human) girls to our favorite tide pool where we dunk into the bubbling, swirling water created by the offshore waves. Briana and Maleska love to clamber up the rocks, then jump into the pool, as well as getting swept along with the current. We walked further where they shimmied up a huge branch of a driftwood tree. Ray and pushed the base of the branch up and down giving the girls a “ride” as the branch bucked up and down. 

A BIG hit is when Ray lets the girls climb up on
his shoulders and dive/bellyflop into the water

As we forded several rivers emptying out along the shore, the girls gleefully allowed themselves to ride the current toward the sea. It’s kind of amazing that their parent prefer to hang out at home and either watch tv or play with their phones rather than walk this magnificent beach and enjoy it. I guess you take it for granted when you’ve lived on the beach your whole life. 

Somehow, the girls often show up at mealtimes. They love to do the
dishes afterwards. If we're not eating they often
ask for cereal with milk and sugar, which seems to be
quite a novelty for them.

Mid October:  Welcome Back - Early to Bed, Early to Rise…

I immediately fell back into my CR routines. Asleep before 8 pm and around 4:00am I’m wide awake and ready to go. 

My little garden paths...

Zsa Zsa doingwhat she does best

Tyson (not my dog) with his leaf
Tyson always carries a leaf to present 
to you. He even sleeps with
one nearby.

This became my continual view after my "fall of shame"
(rolling off the bed and breaking my wrist)

It’s actually a magical time for me. I catch a few “batties” still fluttering around, then around 4:30 the house wrens begin their shrill tunes along with several piercing voiced isthmus wrens. For tiny birds these guy can really wail! The waves provide a constant pushing drone, and the occasional car or moto (motorcycle) drive cautiously by trying to avoid the deeper potholes and mounds in the road. Vultures snooze on their favorite branches across the street, while Boquette is nestled in her rocking chair, Zsa Zsa under my feet curled up in her doggie bed with her paws over her nose and Tyson (not our dog) is sprawled out on the mat near our walkway entrance. I expect Whiskers (from next door) will show up soon for his morning visit to scrounge an extra breakfast. And roosters crowing in the distance provide a continual background noise. 

Daybreak…..

As dawn arrives a multitude of greens from olive to emerald, materialize from the plants in the garden. long, gently waving leaves from the heliconias, quivering slender fronds from the palms and multitudes of reds, yellows and oranges from the crotons in the underbrush. Incredible how everything has grown in the months I’ve been away. As Ray would say, "It’s a jungle out there.”

I check the hand of plantains hanging by the steps to the roof and discover one very ripe one with its bottom hollowed out. Telltale bat droppings lie underneath. When I investigate further a sprightly gecko scurries out of the hole and leaps onto the shelf below. 

I have planted several varieties of philodendrons at the base of trees and fences around the garden. After several years, most have become like the Jumanji vines that wrap themselves around any unsuspecting object. Unbeknownst to me I am realizing that each of these species has its own unique flower. One near the deck has a large white fleshy flower that seems to be a favorite of the red butt tanagers. Many of these plants are common house plants at home in the US, but never produce flowers. Here in their natural habitat all kinds of surprising exotic reproductive shapes and sizes unfold from their plain leafy sheaths. 

A tiny iridescent hummingbird is sipping either nectar or rain water from a nearby heliconia. Another almost collides with me on the deck as he scours the beams for spiders and their entangled prey. 

I am having to accustom myself to the dank mildewy smell permeating everything during the rainy season here. Clothing, towels and sheets are limp and moist. This morning I opened up a suitcase that had been storing my flop flops only to find them white and fuzzy - despite my efforts to deter the mildew with sachets of silica gel and bars of smelly soap. Yesterday, I aired out a few clothing items I’ll need. The rest will have to wait until laundry day. 

Morning view from the deck - nice lines of waves

Water Woes……

This could be a wait because we’re having yet more water problems. Contrary to popular belief by Ray and Eli who vehemently deny it, I suspect there is some development going on somewhere near or along our water source up the mountain. With such heavy frequent rains any exposed soil washes down into the streams and the whole rickety system gums up with mud and leaves. Downstream, we have to either wait for Pepe’s guy, or sometimes Eli (and occasionally me) who have to trudge upstream to manually scoop out the goo, and flush the system. 

The many quebradas (creeks/streams) and rivers swell enormously 
with the huge rains. Giant logs and branches, as well as trash, unfortunately,
wash down and litter the beaches.

Although the local water is fit for bathing and laundry, we “import” our drinking water from friends in Pavones or Golfito in plastic jugs. Until a couple of years ago this problem did not exist, but there are more and more plots of land being cleared for development and access roads being built. The soil erodes into the streams and rivers, and runs into the sea after heavy rains. A world wide problem in the tropics where erosion causes not only problems of soil depletion on land, but smothering coral reefs and probably effecting filter feeding shellfish and who knows what else. At least we have very few corals in our local waters. (sigh!)

 My CR - NC Portal…..

As a way of catching up with Terry and her family, and most important, Dad, I always come and go from NC. Allegiant Air has ridiculously cheap flights to Fort Lauderdale, where I can get a 2 1/2 hour flight into San Jose in CR. I practically consider NC a fourth home, as I’m there quite often - and happen to love the area. If CR hadn’t become a big part of my life I probably would be spending much more time there. But…… First World problems! Ha!

We took Dad out most days, with several drives along the Blue Ridge Parkway where the mountains were cloaked in spectacular color. Robin joined us from Florida for several days, as well. During my stay I took on the “auntie” role of taking care of Terry’s 5 week old kittens that she had just adopted. What fun having these little black fur balls frolicking around underfoot, then climbing into your lap for a snuggle and a nap.

Burning fall leaves

My tiny roommates

Fall feeding time for the bees

We regularly dropped by the “church” to check on its progress - Ron’s landscaping, plumbers, and insulation were all happening that week. Things are moving rapidly now, and the last big hurdle is waiting for the well guys, who might take weeks to months. Again, Ron has worked his magic, transforming another uninhabitable, apparent “tear down” into a sweet, brand new home. He has definitely spruced up that neighborhood!

Construction Supervisors

As I packed my bags (again) I looked forward to finally getting home and settling in with Ray and “the girls” in Pavones. First on the agenda - beach walks.

Choo Choo!