Surf Sunday

Brokin' Board Beach Hermosa

Photos from yesterday, to much to retouch. So Happy to see George back out there!!!
I got my 20D camera back from Canon and it still has some problems...
Click HERE to see more photos.

Pura Vida!

Daily Wonders Part 2

I am fascinated by the critters that find their way into my home. I had been discussing the power of attraction with a friend and wondered, did I attract this?
Remember my last post about cutting down the hummingbird nest from the tree? The same day, after I posted that, one of those hummingbirds flew into my house through the upstairs opened door. Of course, he/she flew straight to a VERY high window.

Clearly, he/she did not understand the concept of glass and kept trying to fly through it. It was so frustrating not being able to reach up and capture the frantic bird. I have a telescopic pole I use to open and close those windows so I taped a bandanna at the tip and swooshed it around to get him/her to come away from the window. All the other curtains, I closed in advanced and I opened all the doors.

The poor little thing was exhausted from his/her escape efforts and probably traumatized from my efforts to free him. There were many distress calls and I could see his/her mate outside calling as well.
Finally, he/she took flight again and flew up into the transparent dome at the highest point of my house. There was NO WAY I could reach him now. I was stumped so I thought about what to do. I thought about what it must be like for a bird, unable to fly when this is what they are born to do. I thought about if this tiny creature believe he/she had reached the limits of the sky and could only sit and watch the clouds pass. I thought long and hard how to free him/her and then it hit me!
The dome has air pockets all around for the heat to escape.
The hummingbird was free already. Such is life in Pura Vida land.

Chan - Something different to drink

I've been on a little health kick since I've been watching Dr. Oz every morning.
www.doctoroz.com
Dr. Oz's site is fabulous with videos from his show, explaining how things in our body work, in everyday terms.

I first started watching Dr. Mehmet Oz on Oprah and now he has his own show. He didn't talk about Chan but when I was at the grocery looking for Flax seed, I found Chan seeds. It peaked my curiosity so I bought a pack and looked on the Internet to see what to do with it.

Here is one method I found for how it is prepared in Costa Rica.
Add 2 tablespoons of Chan to 5 cups of water and
bring to a rolling boil for one minute.
Remove from heat and let it set uncovered until it cools.
In blender, combine liquid, lemon/lime, and honey (to taste) and liquefy for seven seconds.
At this point, if you do not want the pulp, strain.
Chill in the refrigerator and serve cold.
It's better than you think to drink instead of sodas or sugary drinks.

If anyone knows of another way to prepare this, please DO tell!
The lemons came off my tree and work great! (lemons have loads of other uses)
I'm also growing ginger and interested in what to do with that, too!

Check out this link for foods that are good for you!
http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/healthy_aging/foods_for_beautiful_skin?utm_source=YahooBlog_Brierley_SkinFoods_061410

Daily Wonders

I noticed two hummingbirds buzzing around my patio the other day. It was right after I chopped off some of the big limbs on the Alemandra tree (almond). One branch I cut had a tiny, perfect empty nest attached by just a thread to a limb. It was already cut down when I discovered it and I gave it to the kid next door. I am thinking now, it was a new nest and these hummingbird parents were letting me know, I took away their home.
Lesson learned, check the branches before chopping!

I'm still getting over having to cut down the big palm tree in my yard. I'm glad I did because a couple of weeks ago we had some tornado winds. It caused quite a bit of damage south of here in Parrita and Manuel Antonio area. I still see the geese passing around and they have found a new tree.

Maybe most of you know but this time of year, we get the start of some heavy rain. In July, it calms down for a couple of weeks and then the rain is on in earnest until November/December. The road to San Jose was finally opened and I had the pleasure of traveling on it twice before the big rain came and washed out part of it and they closed it down. Some say the construction of this highway connecting San Jose with Orotina has been in the making for 40 years!! Of course, I took photos of the "before" because you can clearly see that the road is too close to the mountains and they have a hodge-podge of various methods for holding back the rock and clay. There is no date set as to when the road will open again. Pura Vida. Here are some pics....





Can you see the man on the side of the mountain?



I am staying busier than ever since Jose left catching up on some sewing projects and getting the yard back in shape. All the focus was on the house when Jose was helping. It was too dry then to do any planting. Now, with the rain, there are weeds everywhere and I can see the grass growing as I type! The moat we built next to my house is working excellent. We dug a ditch and put down plastic and filled it with big and small rocks and gave a direction for the water to run. The other water run-offs are working as well. I checked them again this early, early morning, when we had a big rain before daylight! The rain water no longer stands six inches on my property!

"The House of Pain"

"The House of Pain" is an expression from Mad Money, Jim Cramer's show which we no longer get a signal for here. CNBC has been removed from our cable and it has been painful not knowing what is going on. Yes, I still try to follow the stock market. I couldn't help but think of Jim Cramer's "House of Pain" sound button when I saw this clinic in Atenas recently.

POP, POP, POP!!!

The sun finally came out yesterday after four days of steady rain. I was walking home from the beach with two of my dogs and I heard this loud clacking sound coming from the roof on top of my office on the bottom floor. My house is built weird and part of it is only one-story. Well, back to my story... I hear all this commotion and think maybe an iguana found a way to access that roof on the one-story part.

I walked up the stairs inside my house, still hearing this clacking/popping sound and now I'm thinking... it's INSIDE my house. I open the door to the balcony on the second level and to my astonishment (wide eyed, dropped jaw, shock and awe), I see my floor tiles popping off like popcorn going off! I was complete mesmerized. I could NOT believe my eyes! The tiles were slowly rising and then, POP!! They would flip in the air!



I was so shocked this could even happen that I called a friend to witness it. Notice, there are no grout lines in between the tiles. The house is about 20 years old and it was built for a model house. It was for sale for MANY years and then I came along.....
After the balcony cooled off (shade side in the afternoon), we lifted up all the tiles and hoisted them down to be trashed. This is what is looks like after the big pop-off!


Thanks Tex, for coming to my rescue!!

As some of you know, I have worked diligently for the past five months with Jose to get my house back up to standards. Now, Jose has gone back to his home and I am looking at yet ANOTHER project to be tackled.

It never ends when you are a homeowner. Pura Vida.

BIG Waves

Conditions are pretty rough and it's raining off and on....

If you wondering what kind of waves we have here, let me just say the pros are out whippin' it up. It's a Maytag washer out there but if you can paddle through it and get out, the big reward is there. Gilbert Brown put on a good show today in Hermosa.

Church on Sunday

This is a little church located in Tarcoles. It has a tin roof. If you've ever been under a tin roof when it's raining, you know it can get really loud!

Spider/both sides and a Bat

I've never photographed "under" a spider. The second photo is the "undershot" of this seven-legged spider.


This bat moved into my balcony doorjam during a huge rainstorm.
He's gone now.

Lord knows, the critters I find around my house.

FYI - the rains have come and it rains just about everyday. Thunder, lightning, the whole works (no hail). July we will get a "little summer" and it will be dry for a few weeks. Live here long enough, you realize it all runs in cycles.

Little earthquake the other day. 5.9 Mag. Lasted just long enough to be concerned.
It happened right after a big rain which could pose a problem with the ground being soft. I haven't heard of any mudslides though.....

HELP!!! Cesar Millan!!!

I always ask myself, "What would Cesar do?"
It has been over a year since my dogs have fought. I thought I had walked and exercised their aggression away and using Cesar methods of exercise, discipline, and then affection PLUS, making sure I am always in the LEADER position by remaining calm and assertive and them - calm and submissive,,,, it all backfired day before yesterday when I took Max and Macha for a walk over to Jose's to see if they were ready for their trip. Yes, I know that is a long sentence but I am at my wit's end!
This is Max and he is almost 100 pounds of pure strength!

I walked up with Macha and Max to Jose's house and this friendly little puppy came out to greet us. I told Jose in Spanish to grab the puppy and his reaction wasn't fast enough. Max already had his jaws around the puppy's hind leg. The attack of both of my dogs on the puppy was so fast, I didn't have time to react,,, only to pull on both of them to get them to release the dog. It was awful and I was so ashamed of my dogs and my inability to control them.

The owner of the puppy, Macy, and I took her pup, Antonia, to the vet and she was stitched up and put on antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, and something for pain.
Thank you Dr. Jose Jimenez at Jaco Vet. You are always there for me and my pack and I do appreciate it.

WHAT WOULD CESAR DO???
(for those who don't know,,, I am referring to El Encantador de Perros - The Dog Whisperer). Click here for the official site of CesarsWay.com.
Cesar is my role model and I hang on every word and his actions when watching his show. I have watched all the episodes and thought I knew more than I really do. I was at a complete loss in this situation. I put Max into the down position but I don't think he realizes how serious this is. I do.

I went to visit the puppy today and the owners were gone. Antonia took one whiff of me and started growling and licking her lips. I guess I smell like four dogs, especially Max. She ran directly under a bench to protect "her kittens".

Macy explained how she came about having this puppy. She was found on the side of the road in San Jose, standing next to her brother who had been killed by a car. Macy could not leave her there on the road and adopted her on the spot. You just gotta just love someone with an open heart to helpless animals.




For awhile I have been wanting to write a "Success Story" for Cesar's website and just when I think I have a handle on things, something like this happens.
Help Cesar! In Costa Rica, The Dog Whisperer is on Tuesday night at 6pm. They run past shows all during the week on Animal Planet at various times. It is one of the best shows on t.v. and I will be forever grateful to Cesar for his leadership and teaching me how to be the 'Leader of my Pack'! I just slipped which means I need to practice MORE and watch more of The Dog Whisperer!! My Pack, too!!

Farewell to Jose and Family

As most of you know, I have been fixing up my house with Jose's help and we have moved mountains of rocks among many other extreme projects. Jose arrived in Costa Rica this past November with his family. It was like my family returned when I saw them walking towards my house with their luggage. Jose and his family were able to live in the same house near my house as he did six years ago when we first renovated my house. It was like a miracle, Jose returning to help me. In the years that Jose has been gone, I've let many things go. We worked everyday and now I can look around and all the problems I had with my house are GONE! Oh, Happy Day!!

Jose left to return to his homeland yesterday with his family. I will surely miss him, his lovely wife, and precious little girl. I have become their Costa Rican Mamasita.
Thank you, Jose.
Thank you for your loyality and devotion. I could not have done it without YOU!

Vaya con Dios!!! And may God Bless you and your family.

Ch-Ch-Changes

It's been a long time coming but thanks to Carol for selling me her a/c cheap, I now have a/c in my converted "guest room" to office/studio!! This is a photo of the guys working to install it last week. I got all excited when I opened the door where they were working and saw FIRE!! The unit works beautifully! When you pass through into my newly air coniditioned room,,, it feels like HOME.

I've tried to adapt by not using air-conditioning for years now but during this time of year, it has become unbareable. And then there are the rainy months coming when stuff stays damp so having an a/c to dry out all my computer junk will probably save me tons in replacments!

Note the bandana around his neck.... it has ice inside of a plastic bag to keep him cool while he works. It has been so hot here, I make these ice packs for workers.

Woke up to rain this morning, April showers are here!!

How HOT is it?

Even the iguana has his tongue hanging out. REALLY! He stayed like that for a long while! It's been really, really hot here but the afternoon rains have started and now we're going through the "sauna" stage. It should be cooling off really soon now!
I've been moving rocks into the trench around the house and can relate to this photo!

"Isn't She Lovely" - Her 8th Birthday!

Maria Isabel - Eighth Birthday



The title of this post should trigger Stevie Wonder singing his song in the background - wish I still had 'TeriTunes' music on here but the music was blocked at Playlist so...
it had to go.

This is Jose's daughter on her 8th birthday yesterday! Isn't she lovely!

I love the sepia version. Maria Isabel is a born model. She can strike a pose in a flash. Where do they learn this? She is such a little lady! Her front teeth are coming in so she's shy about smiling. She is such a delight, I wonder where her life will take her.

I had doubts whether to publish the following photos but it's just too cute not to.




Just love her expressions! She forgot all about her front teeth missing!


Update: work on my house with Jose is nearing competition, well, you know you're never DONE but we've come to a good point now and only have rocks to spread for the drains that were dug. It's been a huge process and I am so grateful.

Semana Santa Saturday, Pre-Easter Day

I am almost embarrassed to show my face around here since I've been lacking in posting for such a long time. It was a post made by my virtual blog friend, Jen - A New Life in Costa Rica, that prompted this impromptu post. Read it here. Jen and her family live in a totally different area in Costa Rica and I love to read about their travels and experiences "up on the mountain". Thanks Jen for the kick in the pants to get off my duff and post something!

I have been steady working (four months now, everyday except weekends when I work alone) on my house doing repairs and general maintenance. In some respects, we have moved mountains by accomplishing some of these long awaiting projects. The big load of rocks that were delivered has maybe changed my yard permanently. So many rocks!! I used most to build a dranaje (water drain for kitchen and wash water) and more rocks were used for the moat dug around my house to direct the rain AWAY from my house. When we have a hard rain, it comes right in my front door! We have gone over my house up and down and around more than once doing all the details to fix some of the problems. That and generally making things look all new and fresh again. The weather here is hard on a house. My house is two-story so some of the work required scaffolding. It's been a bear all the way and it's still not over, close to being done but not yet.

I love this time of year and have blogged about Semana Santa/Easter many times now. It's my favorite time of year because of the reverance this country pays to this holiday. It's a time for families to come together and "old time" Costarricans respect the traditions of generations passed. Some traditions are no driving during this time. I love that because the traffic in front of my house is (was) almost non-existent. (Yesterday was very quiet) No semi-truck/trailers barrelling down the mountain using their jake-brake. Love that!! I haven't seen the CR buses, just tourist buses and an Imperial truck moving today (restock time)....
No alcohol is sold in the WHOLE COUNTRY after midnight on Wednesday until today. LOVE THAT! Of course, it promotes people to overstock on booze and probably drink way more than they normally would but it does promote PEACE and reverence for these holy days. I can't remember if they sell alcohol on Easter Sunday or not?...

In years passed, I have seen droves of people walk past my house on **The Walk for Jesus. Maybe it is tomorrow, I can't remember but I do want photos! It is amazing. They walk all over the country but the main pilgrimage is to Basilica in Cartago. So many beautiful people make this journey for Christ. I love that too!

This is the most special time of year in Costa Rica besides Christmas. I hope that I will turn my focus back to my blog and bring you photos of the life here. Last month marked my 8th year of owning my home here. It is remarkable how time has slipped away and it seems like just yesterday I was experiencing it all for the first time.


Happy Easter to you ALL!!
P E A C E

This is one of the last shots with my telephoto before it had to go to the shop to be UNSEALED and cleaned of the fungus growing inside (see dots in the sky on photo). Fungus growth is never-ending, living in the tropics. I get my lens back next Thursday, thank you Marcos for making this happen and taking my lens to S.J.
**CORRECTION: My Ticopedia, Marcos, told me when I asked when was the big Walk for Jesus, he said, the weekend of August 2nd. This week, the little neighborhood walks are for Mary.