Racoons, Parties, Hikes & Laughter

By the time I returned home from the party last nite, all I wanted to do was hit the hay…so this post is a day delayed. A beautiful day yesterday….the best one yet. Brilliant blue sky and no rain until after 5 p.m. – In a world “Delightful”.

Early in the a.m, we headed to Casem Coop which is just down the road from us. It is a shop that sells art, jewelry, etc and I think is run by a group of women. It is the rock pile just in front of Casem that attracts the boys. Casem sits across from Stella’s Bakery and Meg’s Stables. Both of which have mention in this blog. As we played in the rock pile, Miguel (a young man) beckoned us over to the entrance of his hotel (Hotel Bosque) as he wanted to point out the Quetzals – apparently there were three sets of these beautiful birds earlier in the morning perched high in trees, but after several calls to attract them, we moved on. Miguel guided us down the path to peek at the two baby raccoons which Bodie (the dog) quickly chased but came back empty handed. We wandered around the hotel grounds and looked at the butterflies, flowers and the quaint little cabinas. “Hey – want to check out a 300 year old strangler fig tree? Miguel said very enthusiastically – “por supuesto” we replied, and off into the woods we went, following yet another trail. This tree was enormous and powerful and commanded the entire forest. Mike will surely be jealous that he missed this masterpiece. We headed back home and bid Miguel an “adios” before moving onto our next adventure. A quick popsicle to refuel and we were off into the woods again to hike the same trail that started just beyond Bromelias. After a few wrong turns, mom got us back on the right trail, through Stella’s patio and onto the long descent of moss covered stairs. The trail ends at Meg’s stable where we spied Meg, of course, lunching over a stove with her husband, friend and mother “Stella” (which I surmise the bakery is name after) roasting hot dogs and cracking open an Imperial Beer. I bravely asked “Meg, can we cut through your garage and interrupt your lunch?” She gestured us forward and introduced us to her mom (Stella) who lives in the house above all those stairs. Meg said she was by our house earlier to drop off a choir practice schedule as they are eager to recruit singers for their Christmas concert….after some chit-chat and talk of politics and the state of affairs, we quickly bid them good-bye as we were to meet Goudy and her son at noon back at the house so she could finish cleaning the windows. Her son, Loandry was full of energy today so the three of the boys played well together. Loandry attends the other school in town “La Creativa” which I need to further investigate myself – apparently it is well respected as well in the community.

Shortly thereafter, a mom and a little toe-headed girl came bursting through the pasture….It was Kath (who I had met the second day here) and her little 4 year old daughter, Amily. They had heard us playing on their way back from school and decided to check out where all the ruckus was coming from. Kath and her family are from the UK and have been in CR for a couple of years. After spending six years in Spain, they are enjoying Monteverde. She translates documents over the internet (she is fluent in three languages) and her husband also works over the web. I need to do further investigation into some part-time work as I am pleasantly surprised by the speed and stability of the internet here at the house. As I settle in and establish a routine when the kids are in school, I would entertain doing some consulting from home. The four kids played for hours together and re-energized themselves with popsicles and brownies.

The evening was spent with all the teachers at John and Adrienne’s house just down the hill from our house. They hosted a dinner where everyone had a chance to learn how to cook authentic Costa Rican cuisine. It was delicious and inspiring at the same time. All the teachers are very engaging, enthusiastic and have a zest for sharing their gifts and collaborating with the community. I had a chance to chat with Melody (the boy’s teacher) and learn more about her experience and structure of the class and schedule. The boys start on Tuesday – I for one can’t wait.

Finally, I am glad others are finding my postings helpful. The gal that commented yeserday (Yesi) – I would be happy to answer any specific questions you may have as you prepare to transition into the San Ramon area. Feel free to post in comments or we can connect through private email.

Wednesday morning – I steal these few minutes while the boys are in the back room making a fort under the bed. It is these rare moments when I can tickle the keys on the keyboard and recount the ‘goings-on’ of the day.
Signed: S