What you don't know before can hurt afterwards!

Welcome blog readers. Glad to see that you are all still hanging in there. We are finally getting the hang of a Third World Country. Still have no idea how to get around San Jose, but that will come over time. ( may be in the next 10 years) As long as I can find my way to and from the airport we will be in good shape.

All of our stuff finally arived. That is the good thing. Once it made it into the country it was shipped to San Jose to go through Ccoustoms. Nothing like we think of in the states. I was there to watch the unloading. No problem. Everything was palatized and stored. Just happened to be over Easter weekend. So stuff was secured for 6 days. much to our supprise, every box was gone through. They do not care what you have, how well it is marked and if it is even listed on the manifest. It seemed that not only do they open every box, regardless of what it says, they take everything out and re-pack it. Sort of like going through security at the airport. The problem is that they do not pack it back the way it was originally. Consequently all three of my Alaska pieces of art we brought down were broken in some way or another. My biggest dissapointment was my mask. For those of you who have seen it, you know what I mean. I have not set up my workshop yet, so repair will come when it comes. As they say in Costa Rica, "It is what it is" . Laura is having a ball decorating the house and makeing it a home. the up side to all the miss-fortune.

So let me tell you about buying a car in a forign country. Maybe just Costa Rica... It seems that you need to have a coorporation for just about anything you happen to own here. Everything goes into the coorporation for your own protection. Not all that bad, because you are really just a number in this country. It is for your own protection if something should go wrong. So how come they don't tell you all about this until you have paid all of the taxes, plates for the car and permits to register it. In order for us now to put our car in the newly formed coorporation we will have to pay duplicate fees. Did this happen once, no twice. All I wanted them to do was ask, "have you formed a coorporation yet?" We made our first major mistake by buying an automatic, gas guzzler, Suszi Sidkick. The transm ission in first gear went out on the way to the airport. $500 later, a two week car rental bill and three trips to San Jose, and the difference in trade in prices I could have purchased a new $250,000 ferari Just kidding. We are now the proud owners of a Hyundi Galloper... Ok not the greatest name, but it comes from Korea and has not been driven in Costa Rica, a real plus, especially if you know the roads. This is a loaner. Ours will arive in Jaco tomorrow.

We have had several folks make great guesses at the guess contest. so far we have had three correct answers. We have not decided how long we will give you to submit your answers, but we are having fun reading what you submit to us. We ned more than just a cashew nut. I guess we will have to have the cat select the winner after all. At some point, we will publish the answer for all of you to read.

The rainy season is supposed to be around the corner, we have had a few showers, nothing substantial, but the last one knocked down a big tree very close to our place. Power was out for 8 hours and it closed the road to our house. Had to take the long way around through the creek. always a fun adventure. Power outages are a common occurance here. Seems like a daily happening. We are beginnig to feel cheated if it does not go off...Rain cools things down and refreshes the air and makes everyting green again. Washes away the dry dust of summer.

Most of you know that I travel in from Playa Hermosa 5 days a week to work. I am still involved with Goldenrod Research. This is the second year and it remains challening. I though I was retired, but find that I spend 5-6 hours a day working the company. It is only for 6 weeks at a time, and they fly by. Since my boss is reading this as well, I want to make sure I say nothing but good things.. Ha! I have included a picture of me at work with my office window in the background. Cool tropical settings.

Laura seems to forget that we have creatures that like our home as much as she does. She is terribly afraid of mice, rats and BATS, things that go creepy, crawly in the night. I keep reminding her that we live in the jungle and this is their home too. We are learning to co-mingle. We love the air at night and sleep with windows wide open, which of course allows those THINGS to come and go as they please. No mice or rats. Get the picture...Can't imaging closing the windows and just turning on the air conditioning. The smells and sounds are so wonderful.

We happend to be heading home from town one afternoon and saw the Macaws in the trees right by the beach. They love to hang out in the almond trees. Hope you can see them. My next present to myself is a camera with a good telephoto lense. We are constantly amazed at the birds. funny! lived in Alaska and found eagles to be nothing but scavengers. Nice to look at but nothing special. Now we are in costa Rica and are amazed at the bird life. Every other Tico thinks nothing of them. Just goes to show you that, ...well you know the line. We have Macaws, Tucans, Parakeets and a variety of other small and large parrots. there are others, but too numorous to mention. You will just have to see for yourslves when you come visit. Each with a different voice. We hear the monkeys every night, and are now being lulled to sleep.

Enough for this week. "Pura Vida"

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