Change, change, change………….

It has been a busy nine months since I last posted.  Last June we decided to build a small casita to rent out to vacationers and to have for friends and family who want to come visit. Our carpenter/fisherman friend, Marvin, came to Tom with the idea and after much discussion we decided to go for it!  It was a long process as only Marvin and his brother Bismark worked on it, although Tom worked a lot toward the end.  Construction was delayed in July and August because of rain and then again in September and October because those are prime fishing months for Marvin. But finally in mid January it was done and it is beautiful!!  It has been rented out to vacationers since the end of January but starting the first week of April, family will be visiting – my nephew and his wife in early April, my son in late April/early May, and my cousin and his girlfriend at the end of May.  So it is working out just as we hoped!!  The website is here if you want to check it out: Casita Alegre .

We had sad news in December.  Our wonderful neighbors Ron and Don sold their house and will not be returning.  We all moved in at almost the same time in 2010 and although we are permanent residents and they came and went, we became fast friends.  I always would count down the days to their return and it is depressing to know they won’t be back.  But that is a common theme here in Puerto Viejo and Costa Rica.  It is a transient culture – some people end up leaving because the reality of living here was not the same as the dream of paradise and others just decide that they want something else – often just the life they had before.  The good news is that we are always meeting new people and making new friends and for us, the dream is the reality 🙂

We also have adopted another rescue dog bringing the total to six which is definitely the limit of what we can take care of.  Our new dog Steggie was one that I found a home for five years ago.  He had a great home and great life up the road on a farm in San Clemente but last year his owner was deported.  He wasn’t allowed to go back to his farm and so Steggie was running in the jungle and on the beach for eight months.  We tried finding him a home but had no luck.  By the time I got him he was literally dying.  The vet figured that he had been poisoned and his liver was in bad shape.  He also was blind in one eye.  But after four months of pretty intensive treatment he is all well and looks great.  He even got his eyesight back!!  He and the two little ones wrestle all day long and now Thelma and Louise would not know what to do without Steggie.  So definitely a very happy ending!!

 

 

Finally – my Mom turned 90 last August and was there ever a grand celebration.  Family and friends came to Casper, Wyoming from all over the United States (and me from Costa Rica) to give her the best birthday ever!  She just keeps getting better 🙂

 

 

 

 

Some photos……..

Construction

 

Critters

Garden

 

And then there was rain………..

 

Now that is the way to walk a horse on the beach!

 

From  January 1st – June 30th we got over 100 inches of rain in the area around Puerto Viejo with the majority of that coming in May and June.  Other parts of the Caribbean had even more. The President declared a state of emergency the last two weeks of June for provinces on the Caribbean side of the country due to flooding and collapsed bridges.  We were very lucky compared to the many people who had to live in shelters or those that were unable to leave their immediate area.  We mostly went on with our daily lives with the exception of a tree falling on our bodega which prompted a roof repair.

 But the damage was slight and was fixed quickly so no harm done.

Puppies in puddles

And the puppies actually had a great time – they found every single puddle in the yard and wrestled for hours!!!  And I spent hours laughing as I watched 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The really big news was that we got our permanent resident status approved in May so we now have no restrictions on our residency.

Success!

We met our friends Kimberly and Barry at the Immigration Office

Immigration office

in Limon and within an hour we all had our documentation saying we were approved and that we would have our new cedulas within a week!!

While having temporary residency meant that we did not have to leave the country every 90 days to get our passport stamped as tourists do, we did have to prove that we had a stable income from outside Costa Rica.  We also were not able to legally work in Costa Rica if we had wanted or needed to do so. Permanent residency means that we no longer have those restrictions and the length of time between applying for residency is longer.  I had to go every year to refile for temporary residency status while now it will be every three years and after some time it will change to every five years.  So YAHOO!!!

Baby and Mom

This spring and summer we have had an unusually large number of mother and baby sloths in our yard.  There were at least five different pairs and they hung around (literally) for several weeks.  I love sitting on the back porch and just watching them.  One baby must have been nearly ready to be on it’s own as it became very brave reaching for tree limbs and swinging on them – all while still having one arm or leg attached to mom 🙂

The 4th of July party at The Point was once again a huge success. Popeye and Tiffany, the wonderful owners, provided free hamburgers, hot dogs, and salads for anyone who showed up hungry.  It was just a wonderful day. Many of us had not seen each other for several weeks while we hunkered down during the rains so it was great fun to reacquaint ourselves with each other and chat about life.  The people here are just one more reason we love living here – along with the wildlife, the ocean, the unbelievable scenery, and the amazing laid back vibe 🙂

 

Now that’s a bunch of people

Chatting

Enjoying the beach

Dogs like to party too 🙂

 

More pictures from the last couple of months:

 

Emerald Basilik in our yard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day at the beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neat gate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neighbors enjoying the day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom waiting at Immigration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colorful building in Limon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ani convention

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Louise – she is a character!!

There Are Dolphins in My Ocean!!!

Dolphin

Closeup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I went for a walk on the beach and ran into some friends sitting on a log that had washed up.  I stopped to say hello and they pointed to the ocean and said “Look at all the dolpins!”.  There were several dolphins jumping and diving including at least one baby.  It was such a thrill – in the five years I have lived here this was the first time I saw the dolphins and they were really close to the shore.

Last week was Semana Santa – Holy Week – here in Central America and for Ticos that means it is time to go to the beach!  Between Palm Sunday and Easter, the town is literally filled with people.

Easter pinks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parked on Beach

 

Driving is not even an option and walking or biking is an adventure.  During a normal week I can take a walk on the beach and will see maybe five people spread out all along the beach.

Fishermen bringing in the boat

However during Semana Santa, the beaches are packed with families playing in the ocean, camping on the beach, enjoying barbecues, and listening to music.  It is a party all the way from Cahuita to Manzanillo.  Cars began streaming into town on Wednesday morning and did not stop until Friday afternoon.  By Sunday morning – Easter Sunday and the day of the dolphins for me – the beaches in my area were almost back to normal with just a few people hanging out.

Kids Playing on the beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opi

Last Tuesday, four friends and I went to entertain a group of elderly people in a nursing/retirement home not far from Puerto Viejo in a small town called Bambu.  We just showed up with no notice and sang Easter songs and then spent some time talking to the people who came to listen.  It was such an uplifting experience.  There were smiles and laughter all around.  We were lucky enough to see a wonderful man by the name of Opi from Puerto Viejo.  He had been in a terrible accident about a year ago when he was hit by a car while standing by his bicycle.  When we said we would see him next time he said “Not unless you sing to me in Puerto Viejo – I will be home and walking by then!!”.

The grounds and the home itself were just beautiful and the staff seemed to really enjoy working there.  In Costa Rica, most people grow old and are cared for by there family but when that is not possible this is a wonderful alternative with a warm and caring environment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those who are curious, the new puppies are great!  Tom and I are loving watching them grow and honestly spend much of our day laughing as we watch their antics.  They completely entertain themselves wrestling and chasing each other and the other dogs and have won over our hearts – we cannot now imagine life without them.

Growing up

 

 

Crashed

And then there were five……….

 

Herding cats

Dogs that is 🙂  On Saturday our veterinarian brought over two puppies that she had nursed for over two months.  They had been left on her doorstep in a box and were terribly ill.  When she found them one of them had no fur at all except for a little patch about the size of a quarter on the top of her head.  I had talked to the vet off and on about perhaps adopting one of them but she really hated to separate them and was hoping that someone would take them together.  Tom and I talked it over and decided to have a weekend ‘play date’ with them to see how it went with the other three dogs.  Of course we knew the minute we decided to have them visit that the play date would be permanent.

Thelma

Louise

We named them Thelma and Louise

At first they did not want to come out of the crate and so they had to be almost dumped out.  However, once out, they began running and playing and chasing Kaya and Sofi for hours!!!  Sofi was not too accommodating and has kept her distance while Kaya has played with them a lot.  But mostly they just play together.

Sleeping

They also sleep together – normally one on top of the other.

We have a large fenced lot so once they are a little bigger they will be able to just roam around all day.  Now we watch them closely so that they don’t get out the fence or under the gate.  Not that they seem interested in that – they like to hang mostly around us and the other dogs.

There are many, many people here with five dogs.  You start with a couple but there are always more needing homes.  People are becoming more knowledgeable about spaying and neutering but it is still not a widely accepted practice.  And there are way too many people who come here thinking they will stay who adopt a couple of dogs and then decide that they don’t want to live here permanently.  Those dogs are often just abandoned and become street dogs.  Sometimes they are adopted and sometimes they are not.  It is really just the luck of the draw.

So we are now adjusting to the increased number in our household as well as all those things that need to be ‘puppy proofed’.  That’s okay – it keeps us young 🙂  Pura Vida for sure!!!

On Tom’s lap

With Kaya on the deck

Do I really want to go down these stairs?

In the garden with Kaya

Hanging with Sofi

With Wiley the BIG boy!

Welcoming Old Friends and a New Year!!

Happy New Year

The holidays have come and gone but it is not at all quiet here in Puerto Viejo.  This has been the busiest I have seen this little town and the restaurant and hotel owners happily are in agreement.  It has been CRAZY!!

Crazy traffic

The beaches have been packed

People everywhere

and the streets in town are barely passable by bicycle or foot even though there has been a lot of rain.  But I am not complaining.  The energy is great and it is fun to talk to some of the people who are experiencing Puerto Viejo for the first time.  Like my friend Dan and his two daughters Kim and Kristina.

Playing with the monkeys

I worked with Dan at the University of Idaho and he emailed me a couple of months ago saying that he and the girls were going to come to Costa Rica for a week in late December/early January and asked for some suggestions.  I told him of the places we had visited throughout the country and in the end he decided to come here.  He rented the main floor of a house way down the Playa Negra beach and spent time going out and seeing the sights.  For being here only a week they packed a lot in.  They hiked to a beautiful waterfall; learned how chocolate was made from the pods of cacao trees; toured Manzanillo National Park and saw tons of flora, foliage and animals; visited the Jaguar Rescue Center; and managed to get in a few yummy meals as well as a bit of shopping.

Anteater at the Jaguar Center

Shopping

On Saturday before they left the sun was out and it was gorgeous and they were able to hang out on the beach all day before we headed to Stashu’s Con Fusion for a great meal.

Fun as Stashus

 

 

 

 

 

Tom and I had a wonderful Christmas day – several friends came over for a late afternoon potluck and we all caught up on each other’s lives.  It was very different from other Christmases we have had here and I really enjoyed staying home and just relaxing.  New Years Eve we also stayed in.  The fireworks were just too much for the dogs,  They were petrified so we decided that a night in was best.  And it turned out to be a great decision because there was a torrential downpour later in the evening.  We just got cozy and listened to the rain, thankful that we were not outside.

Basilik

 

Naughty Sofi

Sofi gave us a scare last week. She almost killed one of the Basilik lizards that lives in one of the giant trees in our yard.  We had seen the lizard earlier sitting on a bush enjoying the sun. While I was working in my office I heard a bunch of commotion outside my door and went out to check it out.  There was Sofi with the poor lizard in her mouth.  I yelled and she dropped it and it climbed up on one of the screen doors.

Basilik after Sofi tried to eat it

Up close

Tom picked it up and we checked it and didn’t find any damage so he put it back in the tree and it scurried up to safety.  We are constantly on watch to try to make sure that the dogs don’t harm the jungle animals but that was definitely a close call.

So that is all the excitement in my life for the last few weeks.  We are going to enjoy the sun for a while today and then kick back and watch the NFL football wild card matches.  Life goes on here in my little corner of the world – Pura Vida!!

A few photos:

Wiley – he is getting old but still loves to hang on the deck

Cool bug at the Rescue Center

Huge waves on Playa Negra

Woodpecker

 

Another delightful evening :-)

And SHE said……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday our neighbor and friend Stash

Stash

who owns Stashu’s Con Fusion (a GREAT restaurant here) held his bi-annual potluck for customers, friends and anyone else who wanted to join in.  It is always such fun and we have a chance to meet up with people we know well and also get to meet new friends.  Stash, his son, and his Mom, Lucy, just returned from a trip to Guyana, Trinidad and Brazil where they met up with relatives they hadn’t seen in years and years.  Although I did not know it, Lucy is a celebrity in Guyana and when people found out that she was coming for a visit it was big news.  During this visit she was honored as the first female pilot in Guyana – she had articles in the newspaper written about her and was invited to meet with the President.    All in all it sounded like a superb trip.

Lucy!

 

The party was a great success with great food and great company. Here are just a few photos (Click to enlarge and then hit the back arrow to go back to the page):

Enjoying a laugh

Music with Jimmy Mac

Also celebrating Leo’s birthday – he is 70!!

Tom and Amaure having a chat

The star of the show!!

Good friends Tup and Beate having a chat 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful Fall wildlife and – oh yea – Thanksgiving!!

Puerto Viejo Barge

October and November seem to be the best months for wildlife to come and visit us in and around the yard.  The fall bird migration from North America begins in early October and so we see lots of birds that are only here for a short time.

Bronze tailed Plumeteer

The trees all around us are full of berries and yummy things to eat so even the birds that are here all year around tend to hang out more nearby.

 

 

Black Striped Woodcreeper

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleepy sloth

Although it is my understanding that sloths mate and have babies all year long, we tend to see babies in our trees in the fall.  This fall we had three different babies with their moms hanging out for two to three weeks each.  The latest mother seemed very young and her baby was constantly clinging to whatever it could grab to stay on board.  I really enjoyed sitting on the deck and watching these two for the time they were here.

Mom and Baby Climbing

 

 

 

Hang on baby!!

We also had a cherenga (agouti) visit for a while every evening.

Cherenga

We had a fruit tree that was dropping fruit and this cherenga loved it!!  Once or twice it brought its little cherengas with it but more often left them in the lot on the other side of the fence.  Which was good because when I could not get Sofi and Kaya in the house in time, they would go out and give chase.  Needless to say the cherengas were in and out quickly.

 

 

On Friday we noticed a green female iguana sitting high up in one of the cacao trees next to our yard.  On close inspection, it is clear that she is pregnant.

Pregnant Iguana

Iguanas lay their eggs about 45 days after conception and it looks to me like she must be getting close to that.  She sat there all day just looking around and occasionally climbing down a bit to eat some leaves.  Here’s hoping for a new batch of healthy baby iguanas 🙂

Hungry Iguana

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanging out

Music

Thanksgiving gathering

 

We headed down to The Point for their annual Thanksgiving feast on Thursday and it was once again a great time!  About sixty people showed up -North Americans and Ticos alike – and we all visited and caught up on each others lives.  There was music and some singing and at the end of the evening a fire dancer performed.  Another U.S. holiday celebrated in grand style here in Puerto Viejo………

Fire Dancer

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few photos from around the yard……..

Ahhhhh – The Sound of Howler Monkeys in the Morning……..

Morning on the beach

The last few days we have heard howler monkeys close by again. For several months we have only heard them way off in the distance. While I have to say that it is wonderful to know they are still near, it does mean that our days start much earlier than they used to. After the blue whale, the howler monkey is the loudest animal on earth and I believe it every morning at 4:00 a.m. 🙂

Daily life in Puerto Viejo has been going on as normal. We have met some new people and have had some fun times. A woman from Canada named Alicia came to town to scout out potential places to live when she and her husband retire in a few years. We spent a couple of wonderful evenings with her – one was my birthday where I had this amazing passion fruit cheesecake at Stashu’s for dessert.

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

At the end of October the annual Puerto Viejo Chocolate Festival was held.  There was a bit of a glitch that occurred because the proper permit had not been obtained to hold such a large event and the primary venue was shut down.  However the workshops and other special events went on and we were lucky enough to get tickets to the ‘Chocolate Pairing’.  Our friend Kimberly was in town so she, and our neighbors Ron and Don accompanied us to Chile Rojo where we got to sample pairings of delicious types of chocolate with different types of alcohol.  Not only did we taste wine and chocolate but beer, rum, and scotch as well.  Who would have thought that those combinations could be so yummy!!!

Rum and chocolate

I have been spending a lot more time lately taking walks on the beach and into town.  For a while I was working too much and was spending too much time at home.  It has been so great to get back out again and really experience my wonderful chosen home 🙂

I have recently created a new blog just for birds called (surprise) Costa Rica Bird Lover (www.costaricabirdlover.com ).  While it is still a work in progress, I have added about 80 birds to the collection.  So if you want to take a look, feel free 🙂

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of months:

Sofi bringing BIG stick home

Walking to Puerto Viejo

Neighbor with a new puppy

Bay Wren

Tri Colored Heron

Snorkeling Season – NOT!!

Fish in clear water

For the second year in a row it is looking like the September snorkeling season may be a bust.  Normally in September and October the ocean is like a lake and the snorkeling is spectacular. We take every possible opportunity to go and play with the fish during these months.  However, the sea has been too rough except for a very few days and I am missing my favorite activity!  Hopefully things will calm down over the next couple of weeks and we will be able to resume our passion for watching fish underwater 🙂

However, we have been able to keep ourselves occupied with no problem.  For the fourth year in a row we met to pick our fantasy football teams at the local watering hole “The Point” and once again it lived up to our expectations of a fun filled evening.   Our commissioners kept things moving along so all ten teams ended up with a full roster in just three hours – a record!!  We won our first contest last week so will see how it goes today.  Last year we came in third and ended up winning $100.  We hope to finish in the money again this year but the competition is tough so we will see.

The President of Costa Rica came to town for the annual Southern Caribbean Cultural Festival that celebrates the Jamaican heritage of so many of the people here.  He went out fishing with some of the local fisherman and it looked like he enjoyed himself.  Here he is climbing off the boat after his excursion.  Interesting how little security there is – where are all those guys in black suits and sunglasses???

The annual chocolate festival is coming up in a few weeks and it is shaping up to be even bigger than last year.  There has been a concentrated effort over the last many years to bring back the art of chocolate making in the area and to support the small scale cacao farmer.  So this festival was started to bring attention to the many uses of the cacao bean – from medicinal to the delicious concoctions that can be made.  People can participate in tasting events, learning activities like how the chocolate is actually made, as well as non chocolate based fun like dancing and just hanging out with friends.  It should be a great time!!

Beautiful sunrise taken by my friend Ro last week

Other than that we are still enjoying life – walks on the beach, bicycling into town and hanging out on the back deck watching the world go by.  Life is good 🙂

 

 

 

Hello world!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four Years and Counting

It it hard to believe that we have been living in Puerto Viejo for four years.  On Wednesday, August 13th we celebrated our arrival in 2010.   It is strange to me how time has gone so fast and so slow at the same time.  Life here is so laid back and calm – no one is in a rush.  For some who move down here, that is frustrating but for some reason I fell right into the lifestyle   The lack of stress is what is most wonderful – I can see why this little country is often #1 on the polls for the “Happiest country in the world”. 

Since I last wrote we have had a few major things happening but by far the most exciting was that Costa Rica made it to the final eight in the World Cup.  Everyone was NUTS!!!  Everything in the country stopped when Costa Rica was playing and the President even gave time off to all of the workers.  There is just something about being in the middle of a crowd of people yelling and singing “Ole, Ole, Ticos, Ticos” that make life feel very good.  Puerto Viejo had its own celebrity, Dave Myrie, who was a bench player who ended up playing in the second to the last game.  There was a huge parade for him and then a welcome home party at Hot Rocks, one of the main bars in town.  He was so generous with his time giving photographs and posing with the fans. 

We also went to the annual 4th of July party at The Point and met up with most of our friends, neighbors and dogs in our little corner of PV.  The Point always has a free barbeque for the neighborhood and there is always a band and fireworks at the end of the day.  It was just a great time! 

Last but not least we have filed for permanent residency!!!  After you have lived here for three years you can apply and so we drove to Limon last week and got all the paperwork filed and paid the $100 per person.  Hopefully in three to six months, the application will be approved.  There will definitely be another celebration when it is

A few pictures…….

Iguana way up in a tree

 

Sofi with treasures from the beach

 

Neat looking grasshopper

  Our first Passion Flower!

After a drought the rain came

And continued………

 

Tom and crew coming back from the daily walk to the beach – these are happy puppies!!!