New Beginnings

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It's the beginning of a new season in Costa Rica. We only have two seasons in this country although you’ll hear them called different things, wet or dry, green season or not, summer or winter, high or low. The winds of late have brought the dry weather. We’ve just entered into the dry season. Change is evident everywhere.

Christmas is celebrated in the summer in Costa Rica. It takes some getting used to, having summer when it’s winter in the states. For us a warm Xmas is the norm as we came from Arizona. For those from the colder states I’m sure it’s more of an adjustment. We’ve done our decorating and are ready to enjoy the season and the new holiday traditions practiced by locals in Costa Rica.

The children in our area are getting excited. Not just for the coming of the holiday but because December represents the end of their school year. Public schools run from February to December with a winter break in July and a week off for Semana Santa at Easter time.

Our backyard bird population is flourishing now that the summer winds have died down for a few days. We’re seeing new species of hummingbirds daily. Thanks for the feeders Craig!

The arrival of summer also brings the beginning of the official (or high) tourist season in Costa Rica. For us it’s also means the beginning of new friendships. Friends we made last year, Will and Mark returned this month with their wives for an extended stay. We welcomed them for a visit in San Ramon yesterday. What a treat for Bill to have guys to watch Sunday NFL football with while the women chatted away. Ok, Callista and I talked Allie and Ruth’s ears off. They’re great people, we enjoyed spending the afternoon with them and are looking forward to seeing them again when they return from traveling around the country for a couple of weeks. We love hearing about other people’s experiences in different areas. We’re still new here and always excited to learn about other places we’ve yet to see.

With the changes taking place around us it’s time for a new beginning of our own. The new blog is born. It’s up and running, I’m paying for it so it’s time to start using it. This travel blog will be used for our travel adventures; the new one will be for everything else from cost of living to whatever’s on my mind at the time. For those who’d like to subscribe to the new blog there is a link on the site to follow.

New blog site: www.anewlifeincostarica.com
You can email me at [e-mail]

Here’s to new beginnings!

Pura Vida!
Jen, Bill, Callista and Bear

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Photos

Hummingbird
One of the regular species we see lately.

New Friends
The six of us having a drink at Las Musas.

Colibri
Another species we're seeing of late.

Exhausting work
See the little guy asleep on the reindeer at the far right.

The Guys in Atenas
Will, Bill and Mark relaxing.

Feeling lucky
Calli and Ruth playing the Costa Rican equivalent of slot machines.

Allie admiring jewelery
This was her first day in Costa Rica. We walked to the carnival down the street for Ruth and Callista to get algadon azucar, cotton candy.

Great Kiskadee
This guy and his buddies have been a regular since the day we arrived.

Blue Crowned Mot Mot
The mot mot comes and goes. It's always a pleasure to see him.

Comments

[anonymous]

Loved the bird pix. Mom

[Just Jen]

Yeah!
Today we've been watching a budding romance between two of the little white necked ones. It's so sweet watching the courtship! You'd love it.