6 Days and A Wake Up

Our son never counted the day you fly out as it was called  " A Wake Up " that being from his service in the Army and stationed in South Korea , Iraq and Afganistan .  So , Thank You Kyle for the title and your service to this country for we only have 6 Days and A Wake Up before our life on Playa Zancudo starts .  

Writing the Blog has saved us 1 or 2 visits to a therapist , providing  us an avenue to express and share our feelings and along the way a laugh .  I will not lie , I have questioned our decision to make this journey and shed a tear..........Okay ,  yes I have cried like a baby especially when I think about our kids and friends we will not see as often .   Thanks to Skype and Facetime our family and friends will be able to see those large mosquito bites on mi esposa........yes I am laughing and yes I am sure I will pay for that comment and for each and every mosquito bite she gets .

So this week is the last week I will be writing from the comfort of our home here on the farm and I wanted to share a picture of our home . 

Good-bye Country Life

........and just a refresher picture of our destination to our jungle home just steps from the Golfo Dulce

Hello Jungle Life

So you think we need a THERAPIST  NOW ? 

One good thing this year for Santa , he will be delivering our grandsons presents to the farm house cause I don't think our roof on our Zancudo home could hold the sleigh and 8 reindeer .    Pura Vida

PLEASE - Remain Calm , Cool and Collected ( I only wish )

I am starting to feel like we could possibly be an episode on SNAPPED .  We are still on target with the tasks that need to be completed before we fly away in only 14 days but the edginess we are both feeling can be somewhat overwhelming at times .  We look a little longer at the sunrises and sunsets here at the farm , taking in long breaths savoring its beauty .  We had 2 great bonfires under the full moon on Friday and Saturday night as mi esposa reminded me that the next time we see the full moon it will rise above the jungle behind us .

That brings the realization of how beautiful our life also will be in Costa Rica .  There are nights you can stand on the beach and the stars are reflected at your feet and you feel as though you are suspended in the night sky .  Amazing , walking through the stars .   

I think we are going to take a couple of days ( please let it be true ) and relax on the beach until after New Years Day .  We will be staying in a Cabina ( cabin ) on the beach across the street from our home that is owned by our friend Sue...........the Cabina is beautiful and the setting is awesome so a couple of days of relaxing is just what is needed .  We hear through the jungle vine our electricity and water will be hocked up when we arrive making it easier getting the repairs to our house done for our January 28th move in date .  Oh Please , let there be a bed there for the first night...............I don't think a bear skin rug will be an option . 

Today is " Packing Simulation Day " ...........told you I was OCD and yes ,  we are going through a packing luggage drill .  Oh Please , let there be enough luggage and..........Oh Please , let there be no over weight bags .  It has finally come down to begging.........have mercy on our luggage . 


Cahuita, Cost Rica Sunset

Pura Vida

TICK TOCK

I have said before ,  creating titles for the Blog has been alot of fun and due to a wonderful comment from a friend last week ........Tick Tock , I had to use her comment..........Thank you Linda .   I feel like Captain Hook ,  I keep hearing that old CROC as our time here slips away........Tic-Toc , Tic-Toc , Tic-Toc .

Life got a little out of hand here at the farm this past week ,  suitcases bursting at their zippers , one that would not close and OH YES...........a stack of THINGS that didn't have a suitcase at all . 

Well apparently my wife's definition of a simple life is somewhat different than mine from our pack list of must take..........a Corkscrew , Vegetable Peeler ( ergo dynamic ) and Meat Thermometer..........really Sherry........let us look at what is really important , flip-flops with built in bottle opener , Bose speakers , beer bottle and beer can cozies ( help keep that Pilsens nice and cold )  and 20 Bandanas of various colors that can be used as :  sweat band , wash cloth , towel , a very very light blanket in addition to tying several bandanas together for........Designer Clothing .  YES.......the cheese has slipped off our cracker and we are STRESSING . 

So , we are buying another large suitcase and adding another 40 pounds of our American lifestyle to the simple life in Costa Rica .  Why ?  Because we are afraid we just might need that one thing that we might not be able to get there .   What is happening to our philosophy of " SIMPLE LIFE " and by no way am I implying that mi esposa ( Sherry ) is fully to blame with her ergo vegetable peeler as I too am struggling with my tools..........I had to purchase a interchangeable , multi-head , ratcheting , multi-angling screwdriver along with 40 sheets of sandpaper and enough accessory heads for my dremel that I believe if we did not already have a house in Zancudo..........I could build one if I had only packed the hammer .

Enough craziness........if we can get through the packing of , 2 checked bags, 1 carry-on for the overhead bin and 1 personal bag for under the seat in front for each of us , we will be on our way in 21 days .  We have been through 3 yellow writing pads making list after list of  " To Do " before we go and today our list has only 15 items left to cross off .

Tick-Tock

Pura Vida

December , Oh Crap !

Our bags are packed and sitting beside the bed while visions of Palm Trees dance through our heads........There has to be a pill for these delusional dreams we have been having ! 

The bags are partially packed and lay on the living room floor as we search the thrift stores for one more piece of luggage since we have met our weight limit with the 2 pieces of luggage we are checking , in addition to our 2 carry-ons each.........like we can get a full size mattress , washer/dryer , refrigerator , stove and service for eight under the seat in front of us or in the overhead bin .  So it looks like we will start our life in Zancudo , Costa Rica with 7 , yes.....7 pieces of luggage none weighing more then 40 pounds .  We have been living in a home that based on the average square foot has about 6000 pounds of things that we find necessary to have to live a life here in the United States........... now we start our life in our new home in Costa Rica with about 250 pounds of things.........How  Primitive !  

We can adapt to JUNGLE life.........HEY , Tarzan and Jane only had one thing over on us and that was CHEETAH , so there is going to be one mad little white faced capuchin there in Zancudo when he has to dress up in that chimpanzee suit !

I have gotten STRESSED OUT one or two ,  maybe three times in the past week ,  just because I will finally not be in control of our home here at the farm .  We worked very hard building this home ,  landscaping it and putting in the gardens and pastures .  Enjoyed the goats , emus , chickens and guineas .  Most of all the fresh brown eggs .  This was our retirement dream..........funny just 3 trips to Costa Rica and we are stepping away to follow our hearts , because it is in our hearts that we take this journey..........our friends from California asked us on their visit here to the farm  several weeks ago , "How can you leave this?"  and in my mind I know it is crazy ,  all the comforts of a great life here in the US yet , we can not wait to be back on Playa Zancudo .   So I thought I would share a few photos of our farm..........



Garden house (Cantina) and Pergola covered in Wysteria




Potting Shed and Vegetable Garden


 

Guineas and Chickens 



First Set of  South Africian Bore Goat Triplets born on the Farm



Emu #1 could never tell them apart

So on those days that we may feel alittle farmsick we can always ease the feeling with a fresh homemade cinnamon bun from SODA Mary Luna just north of downtown Zancudo............AWESOME



By the way ,  I freeze dried several pieces of Thanksgiving turkey to take to Zancudo just in case the iguana is a little dry next Thanksgiving .  Pura Vida

Oops, Where Did Last Week Go?

Our days are numbered and time is slipping by really fast now , where did Monday go last week when I was suppose to do a new post to the Blog........the weather was warm here at the farm and I still had the back half of the house to pressure wash ,  I am not going to head to another country and leave our house with green mildew growing........there is my OCD up front and center again .  Also ,  friends from California came in on Wednesday for a couple of days so the Blog got pushed to the back burner once again and   I am sure by now you are getting tired of reading about our overflowing luggage , rain , mosquitos , lack of furnishing and the fuzzy creatures living around our jungle home .  Hey , we haven't gotten any comments on us needing PROZAC yet though !

So , we are looking at our last 38 days here and I will tell you the overflowing luggage has become a very big deal .  We are going to have to do with out some things at first so we have decided that we will buy some of the tools that I had planned on taking such as the circular saw , jig saw , sanders and of course my favorite hammer .  However ,  I guarantee the staple gun along with a case of staples will be going with us .  I got new screen to put up or Sherry will be offering up my body and blood as a sacrifice to the mosquitos but as I have said before they don't like me to much .  One bite and they usually fly away in circles and die from head on collisions with palm trees , apparently my blood is to rich for their taste and that certainly does not hurt my feelings .

We have had several offers from our friends to come down and help get our house ready to move into and that is really cool as we are looking so forward to sharing our home and Playa Zancudo with all of our friends .  The house is a diamond in the rough and all that is needed is 6 months of hard work ( sweat equity ) and the property will be awesome !

Our Bedroom previously occupied by Bats and Trash

Open Living area looking back to the Kitchen  with Bedrooms to each side

Cleaned Up and Ready for Screening

We have so many plans for our property once we get the house secure from the pests ( mosquitos , scropions , spiders , and monkeys with a lizard or two ) remember I quoted a 20 year resident of Playa Zancudo in a previous blog who said , " If it ain't hot and there aren't bugs , you are not in paradise ."

Pura Vida

Sol (Sun) for the Soul

So..........I left Sherry home with her 6 pack of space bags and headed to the Florida Keys with my brother to visit our madre ( mother ) and padre (father ) .  The weather was awesome giving way to kayaking , biking , and swimming........Thanks to some great friends for the use of their kayak and as far as the biking.......I got my southern region toughened up for our only transportation for now in Zancudo.......BIKES  .

Got my internal solar batteries recharged.......love the heat and humidity , unfortunately they are Sherrys' least favorite........the preverbial saying , opposites attract stands so true for us , but to appease mi esposa ( my wife ) I promise she will have air conditioning in our bedroom........I don't care if I have to teach 2 monkeys to wave palm fronds over a cooler of ice.......Anyone know the learning curve on primates ?  There might be a possiblility of some long one nighters for me with palm fronds in my hand over that cooler of ice........Life will be good !

Getting very excited and anxious to get to Zancudo as it is cooling off rather quickly here on the Delmarva peninsula , I am not saying it is freezing yet........I only need thermal socks , thermal long sleeve shirt and flannel sleep pants to make it through the night........you ask why don't we turn up the heat.........ask mi esposa ( my wife )  sleeping away in a short sleeved nighty sans any covers.......just don't get it , but together our life has always been a wonderful adventure and I know this journey we are about to embark on will be no different minus a few.....one or two.....maybe three or four comforts of  home.....well let's look at it this way......we have 2 pieces furniture under a holey roof

Cabinet with sink

Sideboard for cookware, dishes & flatware

Both pieces are made from Costa Rican hardwood........just wish someone had left a bed .  I don't think there would be any room in the sideboard for the 3 Chip-n-dip sets we had before the yard sale !

So we are now down to 7 weeks or 49 days or 1176 hours before we look back over our shoulders and say good-bye to a life we had become so accustomed to and quite frankly taken for granted with excesses many people in the world will never have .  I will tell you the #1  thing I will not miss is TELEVISION .  Enough or I will erupt like Volcan Arenal and it is time to bring the blog to an end this week since I have some yard work to do , mi esposa  ( my wife ) thought I would need something to do .   Funny thing is that 6 pack of space bags that should have already been filled with her clothes and shrink are still laying on the 2 bins of clothing........hum , what was she doing for the 7 days I was gone..........getting her TELEVISION fix and the fact is she cannot figure out how to get that many clothes in her 6 pack of space bags .   Pura Vida

Note:  Next week will be the continuing saga of  " Can I Exchange These Space Bags For The Extra Large Space Bags "

Dias de los Muertes

Dia de los Muertes ( All Souls Day ) on November 2 is observed across Costa Rica with Catholic masses and pilgrimages to graveyards , unlike the somewhat party atmosphere of Mexico's , Day of the Dead celebration . Still the celebration is interesting...........celebrating ones life !

On our travels throughout Costa Rica I was always amazed at their Cemeteries since most all graves are above ground and very colorful. The picture below is of a cemetery just east of Zancudo and just before Esperanza

Enough of the DEAD let's focus on the living..........all along their were several people we needed to see before we headed south and that was to make the rounds to all the Doctors and the Dentist...........I am glad we met our insurance deductable.........as we have been scanned , poked , scrapped , and prodded in places we forgot we had . The one thing I was most scared about was the Dermatologist being at one time blond with blue eyes and fair skinned heading to 8 degrees latitude............Burning Rays of Death........their we go with the dead thing again........so I certainly was relieved that I only have a few skin barnacles and minor sun damage........just going to take a case of sunscreen SPF5000 . On the other hand , me esposa ( my wife ) who is dark haired and olive skinned will look like a native Costa Rican within a week after we arrive..........can you say TICA ( native Costa Rican female ) .

My doctor was somewhat amazed at my weight loss since my last visit........50 pounds , Thank You World Gym . Feeling fit and ready to start the renovations to Casa Sencillo Paraiso with the first priority of screening to keep out the mosquitos or in Spanish........the Zancudos . For the month we were there this year I never got bit and Sherry........well that ' s another story.........she donated half her blood supply to the mosquito population . I have a theory on why they bite her but I will not share as I do want to be alive to live the simple life in Playa Zancudo.   Pura Vida 

2 By 2 and 6 Days Late

You know creating the titles for our blog has been alot of fun..........but this week since I am " 6 Days Late " I have to give credit for the  " 2 By 2 " to our friend Denise who moved to Zancudo the second week of October .  As you have read we are always interested in the  " Wet Season " because I am sure if Jack Nicholason went crazy in " The Shining " from solitude and snow ,  I will definitely go crazy with the rain in Costa Rica..........So , in a response to an email my wife sent Denise inquiring about the weather Denise replied ,  " it is time to gather the animals 2 By 2 " .  Kind of like what might need to happen in the photo

Photo Wet Season 2011

I just hope someone found high ground to start building the " ARK ".  Of course we always need to confirm the weather conditions with our friend Sue who lives across the road ( dirt ) from our new home and the response was not encouraging.............  " Can't make it to town road is to bad "

Zancudo Road heading into town from in front of our Casa

We have driven on the road in the picture above after a double high tide having to navigate around the very edge of mudholes in the road that resembled small lakes .  It is not that we are afraid it is just the thought of being holed up in our home with a tin roof and the constant ping , ping , ping , and more pings for several days ( 14 days so far this year )............Sherry better hide the machete .  And , you have to wonder where do all of those snakes , iquanas , scorpions , tarantulas , crocodiles and all the other warm and fuzzy critters go ?  Still , with rain comes greenery and beautiful flowers and it is truely hard to believe how much more beautiful it   could be .                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

It is hard to believe that we can now count the weeks left before we get to our Zancudo home in single  digits ,  9 weeks or 61 days left where has the time gone.............Oh please....... you have read my rants on time moving so slowly , so you know we are really ready to GO and the weather is turning cold and I am a big wussey when it comes to cold weather !      Pura Vida

Grits - n - Gravy

Oh.......can't forget the " Sweet Tea " and you ask what's this got to do with a blog about our life in Zancudo Costa Rica ?

Just finished up our farewell tour of South Central Virginia ,  a place we called home for 10 years back in the 90s.......and to this day we still have strong ties to our old neighbors and friends there.   So for all of you who have never experienced life in the genteel south you have missed out on southern hospitality , manners ,  politeness and the endless refills of  " Sweet Tea ".  

Funny thing..........that same feeling of southern hospitality resonates throughout the small Costa Rican beach community of Zancudo which we will  soon call home .  Many of our friends will admit , of all the people they have known we are that one couple who would pack up and move on.........we have only done it about 18 times but never outside of the US border.........There always has to be a first time .  

So.......we are staring down 68 days filled with 2 of the most home spun Norman Rockwell inspired Hallmark filled holidays.......Thanksgiving and Christmas...........Don't want to burst anyones bubble but my 2 least favorite of all the holidays.........eat , eat , eat , drink , drink , drink , and spend , spend , spend  and for me drink again just to block out the memory ..........I am not  Scrooge ,  I just do not understand why we celebrate these 2 holidays with such excess.........and to tell you the truth , I don't understand how Christmas decorations are already up in the stores and we haven't even put the Nina , Pinta , and the Santa Maria back in drydock from Columbus Day.   Do you know Christopher Columbus discovered Costa Rica  ( Rich Coast )...........enough or I am going to

Volcan Arenal erupted at 2 a.m. on our first there

No I am not going to erupt but I will tell you it was really cool seeing Arenal erupt and the funny thing is that it really looked like several red fuzzy dust balls being blown out the top with bright red syrup dripping down the side but the noise was amazing .

Need to get back to packing my wife's space bag or bags or 6 pack of bags ,  what ever it takes .  So let's end todays blog with something quite spectacular ! 

Lake Arenal with Volcan Arenal in all of its glory !

Pura Vida

67 verses 85.......What ?

I got some explaining to do on the title of this weeks blog........right ?

Sunday was a beach day here on the  Delmarva shore and what a beautiful day it was...........as always when we are on the beach we get in the water.............now the 67 stands for DEGREES of the Atlantic ocean and technically it was 66.9  but  I really don't think a . 1 degree makes the water any warmer .  It took a few minutes and it did not feel that bad however I wasn't going to float around in it to long.

Now the 85 stands for DEGREES of the Golfo Dulce and technically I can't think of a thing to say but....it sure feels good during our morning swim and again during our late afternoon swim.  The water temperature range for the Golfo Dulce is 80 to  85 degrees and can can dip down to  80 in October........so I checked the water temperature online this morning for Playa Zancudo and it was 85 .  No " bathin " up in the Golfo !

We are heading out again this week on another leg of our  "Good - Bye To Friends " tour , just wish we had one of those cool tour buses like the country music stars have.........No not really because if people saw us getting off the bus they might think Willie Nelson had put on few to many pounds and Dolly Parton had let her hair go gray..........Isn't life wonderful when you throw in  a little imagination ?

As I had feared time is slipping past very quickly now.........our days are truly numbered .  We just have several small projects like burning the limbs and branchs we picked up out of our yard from hurricane Irene , thinning back some of the fall preannuals and figuring out how to get all of Sherrys' clothes in her suitcase........Can you say Space Bags ?

The picture above was taken on Playa Zancudo on one of our morning walks and  reflects how tattered and frayed we are feeling as we try to tie up all of the loose ends of life here in America .  It is going to take more than a couple of Pilsens ( cerveza / beer ) to smooth out our edges when we get to our new home on the playa.  Pura Vida

Butterflies & Good-Byes

Oh Please..........don't think the title is going to reflect a mushy , tear jerking , sentimentally filled blog since we are now staring down just 86 days .  I am NOT , repeat NOT going to say, "Where have the days gone ?"
So let's start with the first word in the title , Butterflies or in Espanol " Mariposas " .  The pictures below are some we have taken and as always we have a favorite ,  the Blue Morpho which we have seen in our Zancudo yard .

Blue Morpho "Good Luck Butterfly"

Zebra Longwing

 This one to the left we spotted on the Osa Penisula  and was quite amazed by the size and colors .

Did not catch their name , but we see alot of them

and now the second word in our title , Good-Byes or in Espanol " Adios ".  We have started getting together with our friends  not so much as an " Adios " but as reassurance that we are not........NUTS or One Bubble Off Center........however many of our friends apparently have always thought all along that we were several bubbles off center.........Hey , everyone has a friend or two maybe three like that......Right .  Apparently we did not know that we were " Those Friends " .  But all is good and we love all of our  " Crazy " friends , and cannot wait to share our Playa Zancudo home with them all . 

This past weekend was really great as we got to have lunch with our Zancudo friends , Carol and Paul in Annapolis, Maryland and talk about life in Zancudo .   We were very fortunate to pull off a two for one that day.........we got to have dinner in Annapolis with our friends Van and Lynn and catch up on their travels and they shared with us their experiences of living out of the country .   We have many more lunches and dinners planned with our friends and family , along with extra time at the gym.........we have no budget for purchasing larger clothes before we leave and to tell the truth........I bought smaller clothing from the end of summer sales......so if I can't squeeze into them........it will be a very large banana leaf for me !

Even though the waiting has been the very hardest part...........now looking back on those 327 days that have passed from when we made our decision to start a new journey and live a simplier life in a place we call paradise seems to have made the transition so much easier .  Almost all of the loose ends of our life here at the farm have been tied up and we are ready  to sit down to a plate of patacones and a cerveza in Costa Rica just like in the picture below.

Except Pilsen is our Costa Rican Cerveza of choice !

Just so you know.......YES , I did miss last weeks blog .  It was started and still sits in my draft documents .  Why you ask ?  I needed to make a correction on a statistic I stated in the Tuesday , September 20 , 2011 blog  titled " 99 Days and X Marks the Spot ".  The title of the unpublished blog for last week was , "I Stand Corrected"  and here is the excerpt :

In last weeks blog I made a mistake as my wife has so graciously pointed out..........Rainfall totals for September and October average 4 feet not 9 feet . Average annual rainfall for the Southwestern coast of Costa Rica is about 9 feet more or less.    Hey, so I was off by 5 feet , still 4 feet of rain is ALOT of rain in 2 months .    Going to be shopping for some rain gear .  (and back to this weeks blog )

So , on Tuesday of last week I spoke with our friend Sue in Zancudo about the phone line for our house and in general conversation I ask how the " Wet " season is going.  Remember Zancudo has 2 seasons  and the other season is " Dry ".   To our surprise the weather has been amazing with very little rainfall , beautiful days with spectacular sunsets .  The 14 day forecast however for Zancudo showed rain , Rain , RAin , RAIn and more RAIN . Well.......it all comes down to this....... Don't believe any weather forecast and I should know better because they can't even get the weather right half the time here in the US .   I am deleting my draft blog named " I Stand Corrected " since it pertained mainly to how we would survive days and days of pounding rain on a tin roof..........surely that would make you.........NUTS .

Time for a Pilsen ,  Pura Vida .

99 Days and X Marks the Spot

We are under 100 days........YES !  Seems like only yesterday we were walking the beach on Zancudo ,  dreaming of our life in the small southwestern Costa Rican beach town...............NO it does not seem like yesterday , not at all.........the wait for life on Playa Zancudo to start has dragged along , fraught with anxiety , several small bouts with alcoholic drinks........No Not Me and endless hours of conversations , speculating on how life will be , or so we think  it will be .   The one amazing thing is that our friends believe we will survive and make a beautiful home for all to enjoy.

Below is a picture of Playa Zancudo looking south from the northern point where the Rio Coto River meets the Golfo Dulce and the red X marks the location of our home approximately 3 miles from the northern point .

Are we there yet.........who hasn't heard the chant .  I have been keeping track of the weather over the past several weeks ,  as we have mentioned in a previous Blog ,  the "WET SEASON" has started .  Forecast for the next 2 weeks in Zancudo ............ RAIN ,  RAIn ,  RAin , Rain and more rain.  It is somewhat of a fact that about 9 feet or more of rain will fall from the first of September through October .  I have already informed Sherry  there might be a trip back to the farm sometime around the 3rd week in September next year just to dry out........We will wait and see . 

Seems as though we have met our goals , downsizing our belongings , selling our vehicles ,  and saving the money for the repairs to our Zancudo home with a little extra cash left over for some furnishings .   There will be stories to share in Januarys' weekly Blogs and needles to say they should be hilarious .  Don't forget we have the old roof to remove and put back on a new one .   We are just wondering what has been living up under the old roof.............as I forgot to mention that back in February when we had the house treated for termites a 5 inch long scorpion was found dead on the dining room floor the next day.........should have taken a picture but we didn't really want to be reminded........wonder where his family went ?

Enjoy the picture of our feathered inhabitants of Playa Zancudo and forget about those nasty old scorpions.........Hey , don't they eat those in some countries?  Bon Appetit!

Pura Vida !

Costa Rican Time

I have already been informed that we did not post last week and what was going on with that ?

Well, you could say we have eased into living on Costa Rican Time............Oh No, so far from it!

We had our final yard sale on Saturday of the Labor Day weekend and it took 2 days to prep for.......... OMG ..........where did all of the stuff come from since we already had 2 previous yard sales of fine collectables and antiques .    One mans trash is another mans treasure or is that our treasures are another mans trash, anyway...........Our daughter moved back home and that meant she had things to sell ,  and my parents  got caught up in thinning out some things they had overlooked several years earlier when they downsized or as my mother says, "Cleaned Out", so we had extra  "treasures" to unload.   Made some cash, Yea.......that means we can get a washer and dryer for our casa.   Took us 2 days to recuperate, not kidding.........what was left went to Goodwill.......NO MORE YARD SALES.

So, the rest of the week should have been a breeze...........WRONG,  it was time to sell our beloved gas guzzling truck........and as my wife has so graciously pointed out on more then one occasion that I may suffer from OCD or in my case CDO  ( all the letters are then in exact order )...........the truck has got to be CLEAN before I sell it.  Spent 2 days waxing detailing and listing it on the Internet and local sale magazine along with putting a For Sale sign in the window and parking it along the  highway on Thursday morning...........SOLD in one day............what were we thinking.  Here we had suffered days of anxiety over asking price,  is it going to sell,  are there people out there in this tight economy with money..........Yes to all of the above .

Are we happy..........Oh Yeah .  Now we are hitting the home stretch with 106 days left , so you know what the title of next weeks post is going to be,  "Our Last 100 Days".  Our focus now is to refine our packing lists,  see our doctors one more time to make sure we don't really need those straight jackets,  get our licenses renewed and just BREATHE ! 

This picture is Sherry taken on our morning walk on Playa Zancudo this past February .  This morning we had breakfast at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland and walked along looking out over the Atlantic pondering our morning walks along our beach in Zancudo, our journey is within reach .  Pura Vida

Earthquakes, Hurricanes and Only 122 Days To Go!

Oh what a week this has been, an Earthquake on Tuesday, a Hurricane on Saturday, moved our daughter Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday..........with only time for a few thoughts of life in Zancudo .  I will tell you , Costa Rica does have Earthquakes,  but Playa Zancudo does not get Hurricanes.  Hurricanes cannot develop below latitude 10 and we are at latitude 8.............well that is one less thing to worry about.  Oh, except we can get a  TSUNAMI............I am packing my water wings just in case.  

So, today is clean-up day here at the farm from hurricane Irene .  Looks like there will be quite a few bon-fires this fall from all of the branches and tree limbs we will be picking up .  We were very fortunate and blessed to be spared any major destruction .   This weeks blog is going to be short thanks to Irene. 

I have attached a couple of pictures below to keep our thoughts on our life and journey in Zancudo.

Sunrise

On The Beach

Sunset

Always On Our Mind, Pura Vida !

Do Those Straight Jackets Come In Tropical Prints

NUTS........or as Sherry says, "We are on the Crazy Train again this week."  We checked with our airline carrier Saturday morning about  baggage fees since we had purchased our one way tickets back in April.  Little did we know that there will be a fee for each carry-on (overhead storage) and a fee for each checked bag.  NOTE: The checked bag weight limit is 40 pounds with each and every additional pound coming at a premium price.........Got the scale out and now we are  "Downsizing our Luggage". 

Contemplating doing the Tarzan and Jane lifestyle and clothing line,  one large clam shell used as the soap dish, ice cream scoop, coffee cup, soup latel or bowl, back scratcher and mint dish, along with one loin cloth used as our towel, napkin, blanket, or a tablecloth when we're using banana leaves for our informal jungle themed dinner party .   I can hear monkeys laughing.

Our one-way tickets have become somewhat of a problem .  When traveling to Costa Rica you must have a return ticket or a ticket out of the country within 90 days as a tourist and we will be considered perpetual tourists .   So, we have to get a roundtrip airline ticket to Managua, Nicaragua and be out of Costa Rica for 72 hours on or about March 28, 2012 .  It really isn't that bad since we will be living about 30 miles from the Panama border, and Panama is where we will go every 90 days for our 72 hours out of the country .  A "Big Plus" to this is, Panama has everything we have here in the US.  David, Panama is about 1 hour and 45 minutes from our Playa Zancudo home and there if we want, we can shop at Cosco, Wal-Mart, eat in American restaurants or see an American movie at the cina-plex.........I don't think so, there are some sleepy little towns up in mountains or along the Pacific coast of  Panama just waiting to be explored .  Our journey is that of simple needs and not of wants, just being together enjoying our life in a most amazingly beautiful place . 

The photo is of the "Passion Flower" taken on our trip across the Gulfo Dulce to the Peninsula de Osa and our inspiration to move forward.

This week we want to say, "Thank You" to our new friends Carol and Paul, for their encouragement and for taking wonderful pictures of our house and property on their visit to their Playa Zancudo home several weeks ago.   Also, "Thank You" to our Zancudo friends, Elena, Sue and Carlos for their encouragement and support, keeping us focused.   Pura Vida!

Just The Facts Please

We have read so many Blogs about life in Costa Rica that I am now thinking,  let's find another country to retire in..............Not Happening!   As you can see from the picture below, the "SOLD" sign has been posted on our property..........8 months after purchase.

Just breathe and live, no need to be in a hurry, we are on Costa Rican Time!  So, here are a few facts on why we still find this country to be so amazing;
Costa Rica is  #1 in the World for Satisfaction of Life
Costa Rica is the only "BioGem" Country on Earth
Costa Rica is the  1st country to be Carbon Neutral,  and
Costa Rica has the only butterfly in the world that roars.
Want to know more, here  is the link that explains the facts above and several other facts that we found interesting.

http://www.costarica-discover-it.com/costa-rica-facts.html

Through all the research on expate blogs, travel blogs, and retirement blogs we have gained an amazing amount of information,  "Good  &  Some Not So Good."  The  "Good"  has by far out weighed the  "Not So Good."    For now we wait and enjoy life here with our family and friends knowing there are just 135 days left before the journey begins.  Oh!  I forgot to mention our 2 favorite facts;

Ants are everywhere in Costa Rica and they out number us by about a zillion to one with only 2 real choices, spend about all of your entire life trying to kill them all.......or just realize they will be part of your diet!  The tiny ones are said to be flavorless and less protein while to bigger ones CRUNCH !

And, you will see a LOT of folks carrying machetes.....those really long, sharp knives.  The machete is the Costa Rican equivalent of Duct Tape.   It is used for everything, chopping down trees, cutting your grass, opening coconuts, beheading a repitle or two and even carving up the Thanksgiving Turkey, but almost never as a weapon........so relax!

Yeah, that's me with my duct tape!  Pura Vida!

Four Little Letters, H O M E

Home is where you hang your hat, so they say......or soon.... in our case, where we slip off our Flip-Flops!   We have been doing alot of thinking about our new HOME and how different it will be from our home here at the farm.   One thing is for sure,  NO More Heating Bills!  

Got some information from our friends in Zancudo this week that the  Zancudo Lodge was selling off some used furniture from renovations and updates, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that we can pick up a dining table and four chairs and some other odds and ends until we can figure out what we will need.   At  least we would be able to sit at a table............I just hope that we will be able to get the refrigerator and stove to store and prepare the foods that will go on the table!

This time for sure, we are going to live by the motto, "Less is More", along with White Plastic Chairs really do look nice sitting on a red tile floor!   So, during the past 7 months I think we have made great progress in understanding,  "Need vs Want" and.........when it comes right down to it,  all you need is the beauty that surrounds you.

The picture is of  "Parrot Flowers"  that grow wild throughout Central America.  Who needs artwork for their home when all you have to do is step outside.


Sherry and I enjoy writing this Blog and really look forward to the adventures we will share with you when we get to Zancudo.  It has helped us maintain our sanity and keep our course for our journey.  So, I have been waiting for the right time to share a link to YouTube and some amazing videos from Susan and Andrew and others who live and visit Playa Zancudo.  A glimpse into what life is like in Playa Zancudo.  Pura Vida!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQKLPG5yhuM

One Month Till The "ER's"

Almost to the home stretch.......we just need to get through August and we hit the "ER's".  September, October, November and finally 28 days of December.

Sorry for the delay on this weeks post.......a Trojan took down our computer on Friday.  Even living the simplist life off the grid, we will need our computer.   In Zancudo our computer will be our telephone, our mail service, our television, our means to pay bills and most important a way of seeing our children, grandson, family and friends through Skype!  So, now I have to remember to do a back up every month on my external hard drive just in case of another Trojan attack..........I'd rather face the crocodiles of the Rio Coto!

On the brighter side, we celebrated our 35th Wedding Anniversary on Sunday, July 31, 2011.  A few tears of joy and a few tears from anxiety and again, I bring this up.........changing a lifestyle certainly isn't as easy as just getting on the plane with your packed bags.  This week our list grew once again........both of our drivers licenses expire in 2012 and we were lucky since you can renew 6 months before your birthday.  Sherry just made it under the wire by 14 days.  Is it worth it......I question myself.....day after day..... and the one thing that always stays constant is our support for each other on our journey and the life on Playa Zancudo, Costa Rica.  It should be somewhat of a very colorful life as you can tell from the picture below........

No,  someone did not spill several different colors of paint on the Eucalyptus tree.  It is a variety that grows in the rainforest of Central America.  We took this picture at a botanical garden outside of San Vito,

Costa Rica in February of this year.  It is amazing how colorful the bark of this tree is. 

Pura Vida!

                    

Head In The Clouds

It has been somewhat of an exhausting week........MENTALLY........wondering, are our heads in the clouds?   Leaving our daughter and son, our grandson, family and friends........our comfort zone here at the farm.........WHY?

My mother says it is because Sherry and I are......Gypsies! 

I think it may be that "off the wall" approach to life that we share and have shared for 35 years.  It is going to be hard leaving, but to tell you the truth......the wait to start our journey has been unnerving, stressfull, scary and at times, downright crappy.......as the Tom Petty song goes, "The Waiting Is The Hardest Part".   Sherry reminds me all to often, we should have headed back to Zancudo in April.

I needed to clean up some of my mess here at the farm though, goats needed to be sold, downsize the chicken population.......which wasn't that big of a problem when the Coyote showed up for the poultry buffet!  Bottom line, we needed to downsize our home......we are almost there, just a few things left to sell.  So,  all that is left is to spend time with our family and friends until we see them in Costa Rica.

The picture was taken just south of Cerro de la Muerte (Death Mountain) on our way to Playa Zancudo   via the Central American Highway in January 2010.  Our heads were in the clouds many times that day.  

Pura Vida!

                                                                                                                                    

Moo....... Just Talking To The Cows

Head ' em Up and Move ' em Out.......and down the beach we go!   That's Playa Zancudo for you!

We have so many pictures of cows in Costa Rica......brown ones.....white ones.....cows laying down......and even cows with birds on their backs.   Don't know why but those Costa Rican Cows just amaze us.  The breed of cattle are "Zebu" sometimes known as "Humped Cattle" and they can handle tropical climates due to a few more sweat glands......Hummm, not a bad idea, wonder where I could go to get a few extra sweat glands installed?

As in many countries, beef is expensive and is consumed in smaller amounts and eaten less frequently.........unlike the triple, quadruple, 1 pound plus meat clods we Americans whoof down all to often at any fast food chain you want to name.  Over the past few months, we have made a great effort to eat less red meat........and in fact buy less food!   Our children will clearly tell you when they visit, the food pantry can now be used as a storage closet......Old Mother Hubbards' cupboards don't have nothing on us! 

It is not that when we start our life in Zancudo we are going to starve.......far from it.....it is just a fact, there ain't no major grocery stores like Food Lion, Giant, or Harris Teeter anywhere close and....Fast Food...........Don't even think about it!   So, we make an adjustment on how we go grocery shopping with a  bike ride to the boat, a boat ride to the dock in Golfito, and a taxi to the store, back to the dock for the boat ride to Zancudo and then the bike ride to the house, it's just going to take a little longer then our 5 minute drive to Foodlion that we do now.......Right!

As we started this Blog with cows in Costa Rica let's end with a few ends of a few Costa Rican cows heading up the main road.

Pura Vida

Beach Bums

The title says it all, we are beach bums...........yesterday we spent the day on Fenwick Island State Beach as we have for so many Sundays summer after summer........yet our thoughts kept drifting away from the mass of umbrellas, fishing poles, beach chairs and PEOPLE........day dreaming of Playa Zancudo. 

The picture above is Playa Zancudo looking north towards the mouth of the Rio Coto river and the jungle above Golfito......we have walked this beach many morning in solitude with only the sounds of the jungle and sea.  It is our driving force for our journey.

It seems our time here at the farm has been dragging along, lately.  We continue to be on task with the downsizing of our life...... Turning off your cell phones is not as easy as you think...... Have you read your contract lately!   And really, giving up our Dodge Megacab for 2 bicycles ain't going to be easy either.......I feel a sore bottom coming on.......well, we still have 170 days left to toughen that area up.   Pura Vida

180 Days To Paradise

As this month ends, we start marking off the 180 days left before we can see our....................."Sunset Through The Trees"

The photo was taken at Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica on our first visit.......strange how a beautiful sunset can make our imaginations explode with wild ideas of life in paradise........I do believe that is what happened to us! 

This weeks blog is left to reflecting on family and friends as time quickly passes and the begining of our new journey is in reach.................our greatest hope is that our family and friends will be no strangers to Zancudo. 
Pura Vida

Knock Knock!

Anxiety Attack........we don't have a front door to lock on our home in Zancudo!

Hummmm, why are we worried about a front door when the monkeys can swing right through the second floor loft area over the kitchen and out over the dining area........we just have to remember not to leave fruit out.   Our house is very much open by design, with the two bedrooms and the kitchen having had teak doors that were taken since the house has been vacant for two years.  

What to do?  No Lowes, No HomeDepot.......not even an Ace Hardware!  Take a look at this........

Just south of Zancudo on a dirt road heading towards Pavones is an amazing woodworker using native hardwoods and creating furniture and doors.   In Zancudo, we too have a woodworker that will be making three teak doors for our home.........and we decided, "Who needs a frontdoor"!   We are looking forward to designing our furniture and having the woodworking craftsmen build it from the beautiful hardwoods of Costa Rica. 

No pine 2x4's here, those are termite appetizers. Pura Vida

Got Milk?

On Feburary 1, 2010, we were sitting outside a panderia (bakery) in San Vito and the milk delivery man pulled up in front of us.............

How much fresher can it get and no recycling of milk bottles.  There are many days we reflect back on the day the picture was taken.......a simpler way of life!  We are looking forward to our milk delivery man in Zancudo, only he delivers fresh milk on a quad.

Well......Cha-ching......the cash is rolling in from the sale of our fine collectables in our weekly yard sale........I wouldn't say rolling maybe trickling is the descriptive adjective to use......Hey, every penny helps.......with no furniture, or household items to start our life in Zancudo I am glad we had the 3 Chip-n-dip sets to sell.  Who every thought downsizing could be this time consuming and difficult........but we are getting there.

We hear through the jungle vine that the little rainy season has started in Zancudo......we just learned there is a little rainy season (May and June) and with it comes some large swarms of mosquitos since the little rainy season doesn't do the job of drowning the larvae like the rainy season does......pack another bottle of "OFF".   The more we learn of what our life in Zancudo will be like........ probably scares you more then us! 

I will end this weeks Blog with a quote from a 20 year resident of Zancudo......."If it ain't hot and there aren't bugs......YOU'RE not in paradise"

Zancudo History Lesson

We have heard the tales from long ago....the sounds of....Squealing and Grunting!  What could make such a noise in paradise?

The Golfito port area was developed by the United Fruit Company in the late 1930s and bananas were the number 1 fruit.  The Golfito port area lay just north across the Rio Coto river from Zancudo.  It has been said that Zancudo's beaches were often strewn with excess bananas that washed down the Rio Coto river.  What to do with all those bananas.....PIGS.....they'll eat anything!

So, Zancudo was just one big pig pen where farms were able to thrive using the leftover bananas.  Then, Gringos....that would be people like us, started moving to Zancudo in the 1980's and when Gringos moved in......well, you know how it goes!   That pig pen has got to go somewhere else.  Pigs running wild remain in Zancudo's colorful oral history.

Sherry and Cj spent another week developing a "NEW" list of things to take and wondering how will we handle the rain......all 9 feet of it.  The reason being, we haven't seen a drop of rain here at the farm and our friends in Zancudo are reporting a heavy start to the "WET" season.  There are only 2 seasons in Costa Rica.......Wet and Dry.  The one great thing about the wet season is very few mosquitos Why you ask?...........  They all drown! The larvae can't develop because of the exuberence of the water! Yea for us. After all Zancudo in Spanish means mosquito. Little did we know, but it's not a deal breaker.

Ending this weeks blog with a picture of Heliconia, it grows all through Costa Rica. We plan to have a lot of it in our jungle yard.

7 Months and Counting

Sherry and Cj have crossed off another week and a month on the countdown to December 28th.  The anticipation of starting a simpler life in Zancudo consumes our thoughts daily as we chant our mantra, "Do We Need To Take This?...... or Do We Need That?..... and Will It Fit In The Suitcase".   We too have lived with excess......and now gaze upon our boxed up treasures that wait to be displayed at the next yard sale.....Did we really need 3 Mexican Chip and Dip sets.... Ay-Yi-Yi!  Our list of necessities that we are planning to take with us has exceeded the space available in the 4 suitcases.......we said a simpler life.  Simple is a good concept, but hard for us Americans.

A quick trip to the market for "Grey Poupon".......Not happening amigos! 
How will we get our yummy Asiago Cheese?  Oh, we'll ask our neighbors when they swing through.