Meeting more Fabulous Friends!!

Bridget is Dancing alone and with Alisa



What a wonderful country! I have met so many wonderful Ticos since I have been here, and some have become so dear to me. I have always been blessed with the best neighbors, and here is no exception. Yesterday, we went to a kind of 'fair-well' party for a friend of my neighbors. I had never met Bridget, but the neighbors asked me to go alone. Bridget is from Switzerland/Austria, and comes here to rest and relax with her friends here. I was in for such a delightful afternoon. I also met a friend of Bridget's, Alisa, who is Swiss also. A long with other Tico families, I now can say I know many more people here. There were conversations going in 3 languages, most of the time, and sometimes language was not needed. What a lovely day, and the food was the best typico Tico I have had here. Wonderful! They served a wonderful drink, similar to an Eggnog, for us to 'salute' our friends.

Then, today, Bridget had a smaller "Tea Party" for a few of us. You know how sometimes, and few times at that, one really connects with another, well Bridget is that kind of a person for me. Retirement was meant to be like this... A time where one can really relax and connect with those closest to us. Where time almost stands still, and one can be still and hear the birds sing and simply enjoy ones friends, the smiles and the laughter of happy souls. Etilma, my Tica friend, is an artist, and has a creative spirit as well. She paints beautiful nature scenes, and I think she is almost a force of nature herself. She is learning English, and is so open and willing to try her new words out on me. And when she speaks in Spanish, is so understanding of my short comings also. My life has been truly enriched being here with such wonderful people!

Two Opposites! My last blog and this one! Hell Burning...

This is the cane fields burning in Costa Rica, perhaps the worst environmental thing they do here. Well, one of at least a few others I can think of. They burn it to get rid of the sharp leaves that make it very uncomfortable to cut by hand. When will they get machinery to cut the cane? Great question! If they were not so poor, and believe me, the farmers are the poorest of the poor, they many be able to worry about the environment. It saddens me to see each field burned, for I see countless carbons being used up. I think it makes a reversal of the carbons saved by not having heat in their homes. And for now, there are no other options. Even if they had machinery, it would have to be small because it could never crawl into some of the small fields they have here. The largest equipment used for the cane harvest is the large trucks used to transport the cane to be processed. And they take up the entire road when they are on it. The next month, as well as the last, are some of the most dangerous times on the roads of Costa Rica. One must be constantly cautious, and ready to stop, and drive into the ditch, to avoid the oncoming truck. Each curve requires most of the opposite side of the road to negotiate the turn. Semis on my side of the road, are absolutely the most terrifying monster here. Things nightmares are made of. Sweet Dreams!

60 Minutes of Heaven on Earth 8 p.m. March 29th

Go to http://www.earthhour.org/sign-up and commit to turning off your lights for 60 minutes. Read more about the global effort and calculate your "footprint".

This video is the account of the 2007 Earth Hour. Please, Do your part to make this years Global Earth Hour.

Humpty Dumpty...and I didn't break!

I had a real scare today. The back door flew open, I must not have latched it well, and I wasn't able to get to it, at the time. The boys went running out, like bullets. Those two dogs, really run when they get a chance. I quickly tried to get them back in. Sunni came but not Spanky, when I scream "TREAT". They usually do, but Spanky has his times, when he just needs an adventure. I went after him in the car. I headed down the hill, and he came to the car...loves to go bye, bye, so I usually know he will come. I leaned over to get him, and I lost my balance, rolled out of the car, and you guessed it, my car continued down hill without me. I skinned both knees and hands pretty good, and fortunately, the car did not roll very far, before it headed for the ditch and came to rest on the fence. As it rolled, I had visions of it going much farther, and kissing it goodbye. Neither of us got caught in the path, at least. I had to crawl on top the hood to turn the wheel lock on the right side, so my 4X4 would work. The adrenalin had kicked in, and I was moving. Only a few scratches on the fender of the car. Thank God for rubber bumpers! I was more shook up than anything. The car is not worse for the wear. But what came over me when I saw where it had stopped...one more fence post down, and it would have hit a cement light pole. Oh, the lessons I must learn! Boy, do I need a fenced yard.

Fish Cook-Out

Good Friday, was a good day to have a Fish Cook-Out! Steve organized the day, and arranged for us to be able to actually prepare and cook our own fish. It was marvelous, all 18 of us, working around a wood cook stove in the back room of this fish farm. We each prepared our own fish with fresh herbs, oils, limes/lemons, salt rubs, floor mixes, homemade concoctions, or any combination there of. Then we cooked them in pans over the open fire from the stove. Bless the lady's heart, she never once got angry or pushy with us all there cooking our own fish. Not the same as a Fish Fry, but much better. They do offer it deep fried, but being much more health conscious, we opted to do the organic method. What fun it was! The day was beautiful.

One can catch their own fish from the ponds. It is a beautiful setting, relaxing and large enough to accommodate many at one time.

Desperate, Fearless Knitters

Thursdays are our regular Knit-Ins...and this week, it is Holy Week and many businesses are closed. We knew our regular place was closed, so we planned on going to NavCafe...beautiful garden setting... Well, as Costa Rican law would have it, (there's Murphy's Law, and then there is Costa Rican Law), even after telephoning to check the hours of operation...we arrived at 10 and they had changed to a noon opening. So, we headed for the Mall to knit. After braving the rain, and finding Johnny, a security guards, we were able to turn on the lights and knit there. We drew a crowd very quickly, sooner than we could get our cappuccinos from the food court. It takes persistence to accomplish yet another thing in Costa Rica. Neither rain, nor closings, nor lights out, will keep a desperate Knitter from the Knit-In!

My Top Down Sweater is coming along nicely too.

Water, Water...everywhere...and now more than just to drink.

Finding Giacomin Cafe...and a night of Jazz at NavCafe

If you thought you would miss too much by living in Costa Rica, you perhaps have not been out enough, or yes...there's always the grandkids. I miss them too...but what a wonderful, full life, if lived. A Jazz band, good friends, great food, and even a date... Yes, strange in a place so far away from all the normal ways singles meet.

Knit-Ins are going great...projects being worked on, friendships being made and really a lot of fun too. This is holy week, and with Costa Rica being a Catholic country, everyone seems to have come out to church or will over the next week. The tradition of atonement, for a year of complacency, or just a remembrance of the symbolism. Many places will be closed over the next week, while some rest, others will vacation. This is a busy time at all the spots of leisure.


Thursday will be a little different, the place we normally meet to knit will be closed for the holiday. So, we will figure something else out...one of our homes, the park, or maybe somewhere else. Yesterday, the gals from Heredia met in a nice cafe, Giacomin, near the mall, Paseo de Los Flores to stitch n bitch...well, mostly visit. We had such a nice time and after meeting gals I had corresponded with for a long time, to finally meet them was a rewarding day. Knitters have a connection that goes deeper than just the projects we are knitting on. Making new friends, and sharing our lives, made me want to return and connect again. It is a very comfortable Cafe also, sofas, nice chairs and great atmosphere.

Friday was the date...dinner and conversation. Singles are a rare breed in Costa Rica, well, northerners that is. Another difference from those residing in the states, is that it takes a certain amount of grit to sell everything, or pack up ones belongings and move to a foreign country, especially for a single person. The fact that most people come here as couples, is not by chance. We all require support and a kinship that is not easy to replicate in a different culture. Many men come here in hopes of finding a beautiful, younger, often sub-subservient Tica to share their life with, and many are available. If that is what one's desire is, there are plenty of opportunities. For the single women, moving here, has a totally different draw. So finding a single available man, amongst us is rare. Developing male friendships is more difficult here. There's just are not many unattached men, even including the Tico male population.

Saturday evening several of us went to NavCafe for an evening of Jazz and relaxation. There are some retired Jazz musicians who have gotten together with other Tico musicians, and have practiced enough to produce a great sound. Coffee, food, bottles of wine and a wonderful atmosphere served to make for a great evening. The gardens at NavCafe are beautiful, and serene and with the orchids blooming, it took my breath away.

For all my Knitter/Crocheter Friends

Just had to add this today...too funny!

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe-box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe-box and took it to his wife’s bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box.

When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents.

‘When we were to be married,’ she said, ’ my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.’

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

Darling,’ he said, ‘that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?’

‘Oh,’ she said, ‘That’s the money I made from selling the dolls.’

Just a thought...(mine, of course) what if she had bought more fiber, and enjoyed the profits?

Knit-Ins are going Great!

And now there are 5... crafters meeting regularly. We really do knit/crochet, but we are having a ball getting to know each other also. All have lived here different time periods, some speak more Spanish than others, but we all love to do things with our hands. New learners, and more seasoned knitters, all helping each other. Not only do we realize each others crafting skills, but often are able to assist in other ways also. Problem solving is always easier if someone else has 'been there, done that', and can tell you what worked for them. In a foreign country, friends are a necessity, as well as a blessing. I never dreamed I would be having so much fun in my retirement. Like most, I figured I would have to work at something, (i.e. greeter at WalMart, bell ringer at Christmas) just to make ends meet on a pension. Living here, means I have learned to deal with other aspects of retirement in different ways, but I still have time to really enjoy my retirement also.


Several of my friends are building homes and are working through all the elements that go with that. Seeing the progress, and the delight in their eyes, encourages me as well. I bought a pre-existing home, and am very happy with it, as it is more of a northern style home. Just seeing how happy my friends are when things go right, makes the more difficult battles easier also.









Above: new knitter/a beautiful
scarf
Next: our crocheter/a beautiful
scarf
Below: the teacher's helping hands
a baby blanket


At the Knit-In, one discussion developed about our most difficult 'thing, time, process' here, so far. These were the things we discussed: language barrier, paying bills, getting address changes made for certain accounts, having to arrange for repairs and the time it takes to get the proper assistance, and darned if I remember the rest. Age does that to you, even here. I guess I will have to start taking notes if I want to write them later. The thing that struck me the most was, for each item, one of the others had a solution or at least another avenue to try. One of the gals brought a gas stove, and 3 months later, is still trying to get it in working order here. Most USA stoves are set up for natural gas, and all gas here is propane. The best thing, if you are bringing one here, is to have a repair person convert it before packing it to ship. Same would be true of a gas dryer. Mine was on propane in the states, so no conversion was necessary. Most appliances develop some problem when you go to use them here anyway. The electrical items all seem to have something wrong. My washer, dryer, and refrigerator, all had to be repaired within a week of getting here. The washer had a transmission leak, which we found when we moved it to put it on the truck. To say the power here is the same, is not completely correct. I have an APC power surge protector, which always ran on the backup battery, which has now burnt out. The power is lower, and gets surges and goes out frequently, so maintaining a constant rate for a computer is difficult. The computer works fine on a less high-tech protector, but I dare say, perhaps not as protected either. I will replace the battery in the better one when my daughter comes to visit and brings it. Until then, I pray more.

Even with all the pitfalls, the silver lining is still wonderful. Helping each other get through all these difficulties, makes each of us stronger, and enriches our friendships too. For those who refuse to 'fit in' to this way of life, they don't make it here very long, and find they would rather put up with being a greeter at WalMart, and return home. For the rest of us, we are home.

When did I ever find time to work?

What a great summer this is turning into. The last two Sundays there has been a George Lundquist tour in for dinner at David and Arden's home. This past was the largest crowd. Arden is a wonderful hostess, and meeting new people who are retiring and considering Costa Rica as a possible place to live...just a delight. Several couples help out on a regular basis, and I, being single, have decided that this is a great outreach for me also. Most of the people I had first contact with here in Costa Rica, were friendships gained through CRL (Costa Rica Living, a Yahoo Group). We became fast friends, and have helped fill the void left after leaving my friends and family in the states. By continuing to meet new friends, I find I am enriched by each ones life and tales. Laurie was a delightful person! She and her husband, Jim are considering moving abroad from New Jersey. Her tales of living all over the world, as a student and child, were fascinating and most enlightening. What an interesting life she has had. Truly our lives are enriched by gaining neighbors and friends who have such wide, diverse backgrounds to bring to the mix. We are a varied bunch of risk takers, entrepreneurs, and some even, thrill seekers. To pick up and move away from all the things we have know for so long, and to a place which is a 'step back in time', takes a 'special' kind of personality. Yes, there are a few my friend likes to call the 'wanted and unwanted' (I'll let you think about that one), but for the most part, we add a new dimension to our lives by living here.

Monday, Annie and I packed up a lunch, sandwiches and Texas chocolate cake, and headed out to Parker's home. She has the ideal spot, in the woods, secluded, view of the ocean, and she has created a work of ART in her home and yard. She has the touch! Think we found a place for Annie to rent also, she needs to be closer to her building site. Parker and I had 'happy hour'...or two at 'The Poet', and caught up on things over a shrimp dish. Great by the way!

Tuesday, I made lunch, a delicious lettuce wrap and fresh fruit/jello salad, for my Tica neighbors. Lunch was terrific and as I am still learning Spanish, they bare with me as I look up words to explain things. I am still amazed at how much I am understanding. Found out that the road construction is underway again, not far from here. The road will take the traffic going to Arenal, away from the road near us, and place it on the far side of the valley. Not only will it be less noise for us, (which is a minimum to start with) it will make our trips to town safer also. No more large trucks taking their side of the road, and mine, on the narrow hairpin curves. Another plus will be that it will be a better, straighter road to the hot springs we love so much! Hurrah! I guess Costa Rica has come up with the funding from China now that they offended Taiwan. Does everything have to be about politics?....yes, pretty much. Money and politics are so closely woven, that you can't have one without the other. It is a two-headed animal.

Today is a birthday party for several of the neighbors, and we will have a feast together to celebrate another year and still kicking!!! Tai food, and great conversation is my bet. Plus, Ines will come over for another English/Spanish lesson. This is my best platform for learning, getting right in there and trying to say things the way she does, and teaching her the English words also. Conversation is my best modem.

Tomorrow is the Knit-In...and I am really looking forward to it! Isn't that what keeps all of us going anyway? Being able to look forward to the events in our lives, and the expectation of the great time we will have. My friends (whom I have not yet met) in Heredia have scheduled a Stitch and Bitch time for Sunday March 16th, so I am going to to test the bus schedule to get there for that. There has got to be an easier way to get to Heredia than through San Jose, but it may take longer, will have to check it out. What else do I have to do anyway? It is great not to have to fit working, baseball, soccer, and college homework into the picture any longer!!! Yes, this is retirement!

New Knit-In, in San Ramon

For you knitters, crocheters, or whatever you enjoy doing, if you can bring it with you, come join us at Cafe Delicioso on Thursday mornings, 10 a.m. You can't miss us, we are the ones with the sticks in our hands. If you would like to learn, just come and we can teach you. Some of the gals are learning, others are experienced and we will all learn from each other. All levels welcome. Great time to meet other gringo ladies, make friends, share your talent, and socialize. If you are a male knitter, by all means, come join us.

Wow! What a Month! Trips, Chats, and just plain Fun!

More pictures at the bottom of the screen, scroll down to viewer.

The beach at Tortuga Island was fantastic. At the risk of encouraging an avalanche of tourist, this is a must take trip. The bus picked Dottie and me up at the highway bus stop and believe me "leaving the driving to us" has a whole new meaning here in Costa Rica. The bus is much more relaxing, and we could take some pictures as we went too. The catamaran trip to the island was spectacular! A friend had given me the tip, and it was all she said it was and more.

In between trips, we took some one day, closer to home shopping trips. I couldn't send my guest home without some wares from Costa Rica. Los Musas Waterfall is near, and watching the kids play on a Sunday afternoon, while we laid in the shade of the park, was very relaxing. After making the round of Gracia and Sarchi, with all the beautiful furniture and souvenir shops, we were tired and glad to have a few days to hang around the patio, relax, sip smoothies, and she could catch more sun. I actually got my fair share of sun just being out running around. Not to mention how much my pups were glad to have us at home. They are the perfect tropical companions...sleep while I read or knit...walk when I want to get some much needed exercise...and they thoroughly enjoy the fresh fruits and veggies here also. What more could I ask for. The only time they feel any discomfort is when it is time for them to eat, and who needs a clock with their routine well developed. They enjoy house guests at least as much as I do, and do their part to make them feel like part of the family. Each morning they made a beeline to see if Dottie was up, and were anxious to share her banana as well as mine. And lest a morsel would go to waste, they enthusiastically checked the floor after breakfast. Suitcases mean someone is leaving, and they are never sure exactly who they will be left with, but one thing is for sure, it will involve a "t-r-e-a-t", and that can't be all bad. And, yes, they can spell.

The trip to Monteverde...I'll not not do again. Not that it was not nice, but for those of you who have never been, what they have can be found in "any place" Costa Rica, with only a fraction of the trouble. The road there is the problem, and we took the bus. Don't think I have eaten that much dirt since I was a kid in Montana. It took 3 1/2 hours once we left the highway to get to the town. Hugging the hill on the wrong side of the road, while trucks passed on the drop off side was no problem for me, but the lady in the car behind us as we backed up, down hill, had the whitest knuckles I have ever seen. Driving a rental is not what I would do to get to that 'vacation' spot. If I lived there, wild horses could not drag me down, only to return again. It was beautiful, the town could have been 'Any Where, Arkansas, USA', with just as many souvenir shops, and information booking tour offices. If you go, Sky Walk is great, and our guide was very knowledgeable, and friendly.

Our next trip was to the Hot Springs...to soak, and a day trip to Arenal area. The springs was my most memorable and favorite time. Laying in the mineral water until I was sure I must look like a prune was fabulous. They have several types of massages and facials also. The rooms were great, clean and the grounds were beautiful. The food was excellent, and again great quantities of fruit to enjoy. They are not far from where I live, so I will be taking trips there many times to enjoy this beautiful nature spot. We had a couple hour stop over in Zarcero to take pictures and enjoy the beautifully sculptured trees, and the stopped to see the Loco Coco Art Gallery also. Many talented artist display their creations there, and the grounds were beautiful too.

We went into the Arenal Waterfall park area, but decided after going down 20 or so of the 480 steps to the falls, that perhaps we could see the falls best at a distance. Five or ten years ago, I think I could have done the steps, but after talking to others who were on their way back up, what little they could say (totally winded, and they could have been exaggerating), we opted out. Ice cream and the souvenir shop sounded just fine to us. Next time I go, I would love to stay overnight there to see the fireworks from the volcano at night. I'm sure it is spectacular.

Now in between all this, Dottie and I were able to catch up, starting right where we left off, on all the 'girl talk' we could possibly want to say to each other. Relaxing and just hanging out with the view from my patio, was how we finished up her visit. I was sad to see her go, and know she had a great time, but she had to get back to work and her boyfriend. She gave him such a raving review, that and the T-Shirt she gave him, proved to be the ticket to his upcoming trip here. He wore the T-shirt to his workout at the gym, and found out that a guy there has land in Costa Rica and is coming down in March. So the friend asked if he wanted to come down too. Small world, and to think a T-Shirt changed his plans for his next trip.

Scroll down to see the pictures we took on our trips, and some taken here in the neighborhood too.

Knitting Site...another neat site for me to cruise.

and I'm amazed that I only found it recently.

www.ravelry.com

For those of you who are knitters, crocheters, spinners, designers...and have never been to Ravelry, check it out! I had to wait about 3 months for an invitation to join and be able to sign on, but it was worth the wait! There are 72,879 members, and I can't imagine how many groups one can sign up for with the site. There are 130 pages of groups...just for starters. I started a page for Costa Rica Knitters, and there are 7 knitters registered on the Ravelry, who have identified living in CR. Who knows how many others there are, unidentified, hiding in the land of cyberspace. There are projects, in process and finished, stashes, yarns for sale, and the list never ends. Ravelry has a place to list all the knitting/crocheting books, well, most of them, in my library, like Librarything.com, some are still being added to their data base. Can you imagine the volume of people online at one time is well over 2000+? Free patterns are a nice sidebar too, millions that there are! I am so excited! It means another neat site for me to cruise...

A Friend is coming to visit, and a neighbor has a birthday.

So much to write about today! One of my long time friends is coming from the states to visit me for a couple of weeks. She will arrive tomorrow, and I don't know which one of us is the more excited about her visit! One thing about moving this far away from all my friends, other than missing them terribly, is that now they have an excuse to travel. We have a trip on a catamaran scheduled, and will do some of the other fun things too. Got to go to a volcano or two, to a hot springs, a rain forest, and going to try to do a zip line also. I have not seen much of Costa Rica myself, yet, so this will be an adventure for me as well. So many places and things to see, and still we will have time to get caught up on all the girl talk as well. She will have to get some sun, to show off when she goes back to the low temperatures of Illinois again. I'm sure that will be no problem, with the fact that we are in our summer now! It has been right around the high 70*s, and low 80*s, everyday now, and not a drop of rain. That also means very little power outages, and no internet flakiness either. Wonderful!

I have been going through some things, still can't figure out why I even brought all the stuff I did. The clothing I use to wear to work, dress clothes I call them now, are not of much good to me here. Well, at least not in the quantity that I had. I never dress up, say once or twice a year...there will be a June wedding, and I add a jacket now and then for show, it comes off soon after I am where I am going. And everyone of my friends has short term memory loss, so even if I wear the same thing to each "event", no one remembers, and oh the uhhhs and ahhhhs one gets. Even when I put on make up, it is an "event", they call me glamorous...like it was a red carpet event. We do have fun though, seeing how different we look when we "make-up" or play "dress-up". It take so little to entertain us... Anyway, what I started to say was that, I sorted out the things I could really live without, and carried a bunch of things to the neighbors. The Tico's are the most GRATEFULL people I have ever met. They have so little, and are happy with life. The neighbors have 3 daughters, early 20's, and all are such hard workers. They were so glad to get the clothing, and what they can't wear as it is, they will redesign it, and it will have a new life. How glad I am that they will use the things I gave them. Some time back, I cleaned out the 30 some odd pair of shoes that I brought, and gave many pair, and handbags, to them also. Within 10 minutes, 3 pair were being worn.

This week was "the mother's" birthday, so I put together a small bag of bath lotion and spray for her, and took it to her house. She was at a loss for words, and it has been a long time since I saw so many tears of thankfulness. It was an expression of my gratitude for her friendship, and I wondered if her family had been able to give her anything. I'm almost sure they could not afford to buy her a present. We gringos, are so blessed, even on our retirement benefits, we have more than they. And it is amazing that I spent so much on just clothing, while I was working, and now I think how much money I would have, had I not just "had to have" the many things I bought over the years. I, like many others, got caught up in the cycle of spend, spend, spend, and the things that were a "must have". I am truly amazed at the little I need now, and how happy I can be, not having the stress that comes with the "stuff".

Another NavCafe! This one in San Ramon!

Tomorrow is the "training" day for the staff at the new NavCafe in San Ramon. There will be free food and drinks for everyone. On Valentine's Day, the 14th, they will have the grand opening and, hopefully, the staff will be ready for another busy day of free food and drinks. Daniel always puts out a good spread, and many gringos usually show up. There should be live entertainment, and if it is anything like the opening of the Palmares NavCafe, you can count on a good time. I am going to try to remember to take my camera and will post back some pictures of the days and of the coffee shop too. They have great coffee, and many different types of smoothies, shakes, cold/hot drinks. I am not sure what the food will be at this one. The Palmares coffee shop features mostly Italian style dishes. And Daniel Jr. is a pretty good Chef.

Summer is Here!

The days are so beautiful, warm and breezy now. And I love it. Has helped a bunch to get rid of the holiday blues. I think it being my first year here, and not many friends that I feel are family yet, had a lot to do with the blues. With it so bright from 5:30 a.m. on, it would be hard not to smile and be happy. I hang out my laundry and enjoy not having to run the dryer because the wind has them dry in no time. The humidity is much lower, and the temperature is very comfortable. I guess the only down side would be having to chance the dirt out each day, but a little dirt never hurt anyone.

I have been emailing and re-connecting with friends from the past, many years ago, when we were in school together. I spend several hours each day at the computer, and I have found so many sites I never had time to search before, or never knew existed. It has been fun getting caught up with their lives as well. Retirement can be a time for re-connecting again. When we were younger, seemed there were so many things needing our attention, our children, our careers, our communities, schools, and if we had a minute left over, we could soak in a bubble bath. No, I don't remember having time for that either. Now, I do pretty much what I want to, and other than paying my bills, I don't have many time lines that must be met.

Ines, a neighbor girl, has been teaching me to speak Spanish, and in return I have been helping her with English. Her family are wonderful people, and I have grown to love their friendship. We recently went to the parade in Palmares, and you might say I connected with nature again. I don't even remember seeing so many horses all in one place, even in my childhood, and I grew up in Montana. Something else that I did not know was that horses can dance to music. We were standing near the stage where the music was being blasted from. I say blasted, because I could feel it pounding in my chest. Even when the horses were standing in one place, they were picking up their feet to the beat. It was pretty cool. The part that amazed me was the massive number of people, and I hear that a local paper estimated 800,000 people were there for the parade. I can't even imagine how many horses were there, I can only guess, perhaps 300 to 500... And it is only a guess. I took pictures, and not the normal way either. I had to put the camera over my head as far as I could reach and shoot. People were body to body, and the streets were packed. There were 5 to 8 horses abreast across the street for the entire 2 hours it took for the last horse to pass. The red coats signaled The End. And horse shit, oh my Gosh! Being shoved by the crowd one direction and then back again, the whole time trying to not get my feet stepped on, or kicked by a anxious horse, were only part of the problem. The parking attendant, upon seeing I was a gringa, double charged me $10 to park. It reminded me of some of the October Fests in Missouri, when open containers were not against the law. Bottles were being passed to the riders, some had clearly had enough already. Many, young and old, were drinking heavily. We were standing on the street at a T in the roads by the park, and I think every policeman was standing right at the point also. I think there are perhaps, no rules to this game, and only if something very tragic happened, would there have been any intervention, IF, they could have even reached the place. I know they have these festivals each year, this one lasts 10 days. Most towns have numerous festivals, but I have not seen the number of people as there were at this one. It is a cultural thing, and one that... I went, I saw, and I probably will not go again. I'm sure there were days in which there were less people, and it was less crowded, I will choose to attend on one of those days, next time, instead of the horse parade day. People watching was very interesting, they have all kinds here too. These are just some of the pictures I shot. As you will see, there was not a spot of street, sidewalk, or grass that did not have feet standing on it. And yes, the horses were that close to us, I did not zoom in on any picture.

Guisel and Ines

The white horse was beautiful!

Dancing and yes, drinking

Yes, they were that close to us! And look at how many abreast. They shine because they are Hot!

Men in Black, the police...vest and I bet they were warm too.

Every spot up through this street is a person! I could not believe it.

Mostly cowboys, but look at the man with the ear ring...in his ear, not on it. The skin is around the 2+ inch circle.

Men in Red...signal The End!

Suzanne, Thanks for the comment, but don't know how to reach you.

I'd love to meet you and have lunch while you are in San Ramon. I am going to post my email here, maezing@yahoo.com, so you can email me when you know what day you will be in San Ramon. Email me and I will email you back with where to meet me. There is an Internet Cafe called Solo Bueno just as you come into downtown San Ramon, on the right side of the street, from the Auto Pista. Friends of mine own it, and you could email me from there. It is the shop, right in front of the bus (in the picture) and is the first bus stop after the stop light/signal you can see hanging in the picture. Most drivers are familiar with Solo Bueno. Pull the bell cord, on the bus when he is at the light. I always have my email on, during the day, so I would get it and get back to you quickly. I can call you back at Solo Bueno too. I'll be at home the days you suggested.

Hope we can connect. I have a car, so I can drive the 4K to town fairly soon after hearing from you. I'll bring the clogs for you to see. I am going to go back in my post on them and add the answers to the questions you asked, I thought later that I should have posted what I had made them from also. I'm working on a pair of socks too.

Yes! I finished the slippers! Knitted and Felted Slippers

I finished these beautiful clog/slippers a few weeks ago, but had not had time to felt them yet. I used the Fiber Trends Felted Clog pattern. It was fast and easy. The fiber is Plymouth, Outback 100% Wool, and they are made all in one piece. Doesn't look possible, but...there you have it. Today, I decided was the day to felt them. I had to carry hot water from the kitchen sink, and heated 4 tea kettles of water also. I must get a hot water connection to my washer! I love to felt projects I have knitted, and I also make projects from slightly worn wool sweaters found at thrift stores. If you've never tried them before, you don't know what you're missing. I have a couple sweaters waiting to be processed and I have some ideas for them. Are you asking, "Why would anyone knit with wool in the
tropics?"? We do have some very cool weather, having no heat, unless you count space heaters, it is nice to curl up under a throw, with knitted socks, a sweater, and slippers on, and read a good book or watch a movie. It saves on electricity too, green wise, both money and environment. They are drying now, stuffed with a pair of shoes and wash cloths to stretch them even. I will take them to a small shoe repair shop in San Ramon to have soles added. Ceramic tile floors would mean a sure fall, and I can't chance that.

Got Nerves of Steel...you will need them to live here. Part I

Though life in Costa Rica has many benefits, one must understand it has it's share of problems also. One advantage to reading blogs is, perhaps, to glean a little insight and avoid a few potholes. Part II will follow.

I think we northerners have different requirements than the native Costa Ricans, that life can require much more flexibility than what I ever imagined. I find my most difficult times are the days I need to pay bills. After paying bills automatically for so many years, and I hardly ever wrote a check or carried cash in my purse, this is stepping back, in some respects, perhaps into my parents time of experiences. The catch22 is that the technology is here in Costa Rica also, but the knowledge has not caught up with it yet. They are operating on memorization, just like they do in the schools here. They have memorized how to do things on a computer, but have no understanding of what they are doing, or at least of what consequence it may have. And correcting errors, or undoing the mess, is out of the question.

Without going into the long, believe me, long story of my banking adventure...I will suggest that you embrace alternatives to banking at Banco National, here/after called BN. I knew when I went to the bank to pay three bills, the same ones I pay each month shortly after the first of the month, that, this being so close to a holiday, I may have to wait for a while. And I was "tranquilo" with that. I waited patiently in line for over an hour to get to the cashier, giving her enough forms of ID, my USA bank card, list of bills and their account numbers, and was fully prepared to be asked for everything short of my first born. As usual, she took my card into Neverland, and after a short wait, she returned only to tell me that my card was regetted! Imagine that! Due to my stunned look, I'm sure, she replied that she had ran the card twice and handed me one "declined" notice. I begged, "Please", (in my broken Spanish) "run it one more time, plllleeeease." She went back and moments later, returned, as through a revolving door, and told me "no" again. Now, I am tired, my back aches, and I wonder why I had not gotten in the MUCH shorter "Aged, and Handicap" line. As I turn to leave and try to figure out "What the Hell am I going to do?", I see the line is just as long as it was when I came in an hour and a half ago. I decide to go to the bank about a mile up the road, and get dollars out of the ATM at a bank where I can not use my MasterCard bank card at the teller, they only give you money for Visa cards, but I can get money out of the ATM. Are you starting to see the irony in all of this? I get as much as I can out of the ATM, remember most cards have a daily limit, and drive back to BN, with cash in hand, not enough, but to pay 2 bills, and part of another, thinking I will return on another day hoping the line will be shorter to pay the remainder of the bill, when I can get more money out of the ATM. Does this sound like fun? I go into BN, and yes, the line was just as long, so I stepped into the line with 8 or so people, the "Aged and Handicap" line. I wait for my turn, get to the teller, and he tells me "I am not old enough!", and I am betwixt reaching through the hole in the glass, and kissing him, or something less sensual. And for the record, I am old enough! He points at the LONG line, and says I must go to THAT line. I made it perfectly clear that I was not going into THAT line, and waved my fist full of dollars at him. I remember babbling something about having been here before, and NO, I was not going to that line, and take my money! At this point, the lady teller next to him, who had originally 'declined' my card, got his attention, and said that she would take me next. He was relieved, and I would not have to resort to obscene gestures. After paying my bills, and happily walking to my car, I realized I just spent two and a half hours trying to pay 3 bills, and would still have to come back for another episode. Reruns are hell.