Have you ever dreamed about that little piece of paradise that is all your own? We did! ... and so we bought a piece of land in Costa Rica and built our dream home. This is our window on life on the Pacific coast - and the complications of things that hold us in Toronto.
So there was an issue with the paint on the hardscaping - retaining walls, steps, shower - and Christian had his guys on it right away - they stripped the shower and sanded it down - - and then the rains came. So after a week of rain and 3 days of dry weather, the painter arrived. He primed the shower and has painted all the other surfaces with water resistant paint - all the walls and edges, all around the property - today he is on the shower, returning to its sunny yellow/orange self.
He has been here going on 3 days - arriving and 6:15 am and working until 6:15 pm (when he can barely see since it is pretty dark by then) after which he cleans up and calls for his ride. Last night we got home from Boca just past 7 and he was walking up the hill. He was back at 6:15 and just finished at 12:15 - hard worker and amazingly thorough.
A lazy day - Lisle went to Gentlemen's breakfast - new is no more "Juice in the Jungle" - has served its purpose of building the community - maybe afternoon drinks with friends - sure hope the good weather holds on!
Apparently there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - if that is the case, we are headed to Bruce and Barbara's right now!!
At 6 am I was enjoying a beautiful sunny morning - sipping my coffee - and I heard it coming - the rain through the jungle behind the house - by the time I got out of my chair it was here - sudden but not too heavy - 5 minutes of sun shower and then gone, with the gift of a rainbow - there were two at the beginning, but by the time I got the camera the upper one had disappeared - great start to the morning!
So, the clouds are playing around the mountains - some dark and ominous, others bright white and fluffy, sliding into the valley - the ocean is clear to the horizon with high white clouds way out there - some sun, some cloud.
Lisle has headed to the bank to give them the documentation they wanted - we decided we both didn't need to go - we'll see if that is a mistake. Figured out yesterday that you need to pick one thing a day to do - yesterday was planned that Lisle would go to the Doctor to see about his bites (OMG!!) then to the pharmacy (he has been there already and seems to be reacting to the antibiotics they gave him) and then to the bank and the butcher - with stops at the grocery in Uvita and Ojochal. Well the doctor was at lunch, and there was a wait at the pharmacy - groceries and home - almost 3 hours - - the trip to the bank and back would have been another 3 hours - - slow and steady keeps you busy and sane!!
Yesterday the SWAT team descended on us - the Ventana crew to fix everything that was left on the list - mirrors, screens, locks - most of the day - I think there are a couple minor things left with a plan to complete before the end of next week and we are talking to Robert tomorrow about any of the significant issues - hopefully that brings us to an end of the construction phase for real!!
Christian was supposed to be back to start repainting the shower today - so far no sight of his guys.
With all the 'business' we have had a chance to relax and socialize - Tuesday night was dinner with Dwight and Wendy at Exotica and last night dinner at Jan and Ross's with Keith and Karen - great food with great friends is always a treat!
The monkeys seem to have abandoned us! None around for 2 days now - Tuesday afternoon another male came by and was howling at the troop, whose male was definitely answering back - guess they decided to shift location for a while!
So, it seems we are back to normal weather - Monday was perfect - sunny, a few clouds, a nice breeze, 32C and NO RAIN - today the same and the radar shows nothing in the offing - maybe a stretch of good weather! Still rain in the mountains - fascinating to watch the clouds form and shift.
Monday was finally our trip to the bank to open another account - Sabrina had called ahead so they were expecting us - Jefery actually spoke English well although his lack of confidence was evident. He worked through things diligently and methodically and asked all sorts of questions and typed away at his computer - our passport # changed from last time, there was more $ in the account than they expected, where did our $ come from, what was the business of the corporation, can we verify our income form Canada - again, we are opening a savings account for pete's sake! He was never anything but polite and kept saying all this is because of the new banking law - 1 1/2 hours later we had a US$ and Colones account - but have one month to bring him additional documentation!!
So today we are new parents - the frog eggs hatched in the fountain!!!!
The groundskeeper stopped by - I showed him and he said - - Is good or bad? I figured he was supposed to know! Oh well hopefully the other wildlife will eat them before we are over run with a plague of frogs!
The combination of water and sun has brought the plants to life - flowers showing themselves!
Heliconia psittacorum - related to the bird of paradise
the Shrimp plant
the fire spike
And finally - the day ended with another spectacular sunset - I love rainy season sunsets - clouds and colour in the sky - in the dry season you get to see the sun slip below the horizon, but usually that is the end of it - last night we got this!
After an entire week of rain - pretty much continuous rain - today we got sun - a few light showers and cloud on the mountain - but sun - I sat out by the pool and read - I think I got burnt! The sky is still overcast a lot, but it is clear to the ocean and warmer (27C).
Seem to have lost yesterday and today - internet, movies, reading - Lisle went to the Pharmacy to get antibiotics for his bites - - really not pretty!
Yesterday discovered that the fountain (water feature as Christian prefers to call it) is actually a maternity ward! Many, many, many little gel eggs (frogs I think). Christian said that is normal - they'll clean them out when they do maintenance - OMG - BABY KILLERS!
And then there is the BIG FUZZY BLACK caterpillar that seems to be making a cocoon in the tarp covering the outdoor shower (waiting for dry weather to repaint it) - Christian said - OMG DON'T TOUCH IT!!!! Apparently they are cute, so they have some kind of alkyd on their fuzz that can make you very ill.
Friday at Dean and Michelle's was great fun - all the neighbours were there and we had a fabulous pot luck. Best was meeting Michelle's daughter Emily and her companions - they have been volunteering in San Ramon (teaching, building, etc) and they get to travel on the weekends - I spoke with Gary who is 21 from Colorado - just finished his degree in Mathematics and it going to start his Phd in September - he wants to work in Finance (mergers and acquisitions, venture capital etc) and has 5 more years of school - he came to live with a family, brush up on his spanish, volunteer and have a bit of an adventure!
Dean and Michelle headed home today - maybe we'll see them in the winter - sad to see friends leave!
So, overcast, raining (sometimes torrential) and about 23C since Tuesday - doesn't that sound like Vancouver??
After Monday's heavy rain, we discovered Tuesday morning that there was now an island in the river - the power of the water is awesome! Drove to San Jose for our shopping fix - shelving and such, some food - and the special list for the neighbours - burger patties, steaks, salami, etc (stuff not easily accessible locally - at least not at a reasonable price) - out at 7:15 back at 7:00 - a very long day, but not bad driving and the rain was intermittent and light.
Wednesday - the Bank - when we set up our chequing account, we did it in Cortes with the help of Sabrina (she works for Ventana and does this sort of legal stuff with clients - and she speaks Spanish). We decided that we would try to open the savings account in Uvita - they speak English there! Arrive - great, no line, explain what we want - she disappears and returns with a printed list (apparently what we need to open the account). We knew we needed the certification of our corporate status (got that from Sabrina a few days earlier - a legal document that lists our positions in the corporation and our passport numbers etc - only good for 30 days from when it is issued) BUT, since the other account was in Cortes she didn't know us - so we need a letter of introduction from a lawyer, the original corporation documents, and verification of our sources of income! I need less to get a loan in Toronto - Does she understand we are trying to give her money to hold for us? - let's regroup, talk to Sabrina and try again!
Thursday is the market in San Isidro - nearest 'city' - about 50,000 people, on the Pan American Highway, about 90 minutes from the house (I know, a very long way to drive - through the mountains - for fresh vegetables! - but having never been it was an adventure). Keith and Karen joined us and acted as our guides to the market and the city (Maxi Bodega (Walmart/grocery store), the main ICE office, where you get your driver's licence renewed, the Plaza ... )
The market is a large covered area with hundreds of vendors - everything from pineapple to papaya, corn to tomato, beets to cabbage, and all sorts of stuff that I have no idea what it is (roots and fruits!). Lisle was in heaven - one of these, two of those - watermelon, beets, papaya, herbs, tomatoes, corn (we'll pass on that next time - I guess you buy it to feed the cows!). The best thing - Lisle is learning Spanish - after a few times of me saying "he said 1200 colones" he got the hang of the numbers -hooray!!
Today (my god it's Friday already) lazing around - Dean and Michelle are hosting a party since Michelle's daughter and her friends are here - so we will see everyone around 4 for food, drink and stories.
Well, the skies are clearing a bit - can see the mountain and the valley - and out to the Ocean, but it is still raining - oh well, think I'll take the shovel we bought and go up the road to try to divert some of the water from the channel it is carving and get it into the cuneta where it belongs - manual labour! We'll see how long I last!
Or maybe it is just my eyes - it rained the night away (and what rain and thunder and lightning) and Sunday it looked more like San Francisco or London!
Did some condo work in the morning (call back to Canada) and then we all sort of called of the beach day that was planned - so we went to visit Yves in Uvita.
He and his former partner built a local hotel in 1996 and sold it in 2001 - he built a home in Uvita and suggested a day by the pool - it was actually clear for part of the day and we could watch the clouds covering Ojochal to the south - spectacular (modest but amazing) home with great grounds and the most awesome view - the Osa to the south - Cano Island - the Whales tale - the 3 sisters - and mountains of San Josecito to the north. After a tour of the house and property we spent 2 hours in the pool (1/2 of that while it rained) drinking beer and chatting while the MANY parrots played in the gigantic Royal Palm above our heads. After we dried off we headed to the local pizza joint (beach side of the highway just before the Whales and Dolphins turn off) that just opened - italian guy covered in tattoos and his tica wife with a brand new baby - great pizza! Nice to enjoy the day with new friends - next weekend our turn to show off!
Rain most of the night and the day dawned clear - which lasted until about 12 - at which point the sky opened and we have had the most rain we've seen yet - heavy - no visibility - constant - - water everywhere!
but at the end of it all there is some good - a great view of the mountain waterfall!
Today seems to be critter day - all sorts of new ones - some interesting others just odd
Meanwhile the outdoor shower is back under construction
The paint was all moldy and puckered - had to be completely stripped - Christian said it needs to dry out for 3 days (like that will be likely before December - hence the plastic covering)
