Christmas Day
Stef and I would like to take this time to wish
ALL OF YOU
A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND
A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!
On November 30 of 2016, we celebrated our 9th year living here in beautiful Atenas, Costa Rica. We love the wonderful people, the weather and the low cost of living, and especially, the relaxing atmosphere that we live in. With all this, it was pretty easy to make our decision to stay and live here. As it is becoming more obvious every year - it appears that we are here to stay, and I can guarantee you that we have not looked back at all! Enjoy!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Dinner at the Home of Judy and Roxi
December 24, 2012
They are a couple of sisters who packed up everything and moved to Atenas from the Portland area about 6 months ago. They call themselves the "Sisters in Transition" and have a blog you can see at:
Stef, Bob & Donna looking a little farther to the south
Now, although Judy wouldn't let me take any pictures of the Chili & Torts, they made a batch of chips & dips - Man were they good, and I had a hard time stopping from munching - check this out
This is about the best salsa I have ever had - mmmmmmmmmm
We had a great dinner and then did a White Elephant gift exchange - Everything was great!!!
This is Judy (R) and Roxi (L)
We affectionately call them "The Girls". We met Judy and Roxi when they rented one of our apartments while they were waiting for their long-term rental to become available. During that time, we also became friends. I can tell you that these girls are full of energy and are the kind of friends you hope to keep forever. Both are now on the Chili Cook-off Committee and have already contributed much. - Please keep up with their adventures on their blog.
Well, they decided to have some of us over for a Christmas Eve Dinner and it was great. Judy made her now famous Chili & Torts and you cannot believe how tasty that is. However, she refuses to give out the recipe as it is a secret based on long-standing tradition. And, she won't even let me take pictures of it :-(
The attendees totaled 12, which was a very good sized group for the occasion. Not too small and not too big. They are:
Don and Judy
Ken and Deb
Rosemary and Tony
Donna and Bob
Stef and Yours Truly
The home they rented sits on the side of a mountain above Atenas - Check out some of the views
Here you can see all the way past San Jose and into the far mountains along the Caribbean Coast
Stef, Bob & Donna looking a little farther to the south
Now, although Judy wouldn't let me take any pictures of the Chili & Torts, they made a batch of chips & dips - Man were they good, and I had a hard time stopping from munching - check this out
This is about the best salsa I have ever had - mmmmmmmmmm
We had a great dinner and then did a White Elephant gift exchange - Everything was great!!!
Thanks for Inviting Us Girls!!!!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Oatmeal & Raisin Cookies by Stef
December 23
Stef is a great cook, but never really bakes much. However, she got this bug to bake some cookies for Christmas. My all-time favorite - Oatmeal & Raisin Cookies!!!!
Well, I just let her do her thing and she spent all day on this project that ended up bringing much joy to many watering mouths. Take a look at the results..
That girl baked I don't know how many dozen, and they were great!! This is kind of a hard thing to say, but I will say it anyway - My mother always baked these for me and I loved them. Stef - yours are actually better than what Mom used to make, and that is saying a lot - Thank You!!
Stef is a great cook, but never really bakes much. However, she got this bug to bake some cookies for Christmas. My all-time favorite - Oatmeal & Raisin Cookies!!!!
Well, I just let her do her thing and she spent all day on this project that ended up bringing much joy to many watering mouths. Take a look at the results..
That girl baked I don't know how many dozen, and they were great!! This is kind of a hard thing to say, but I will say it anyway - My mother always baked these for me and I loved them. Stef - yours are actually better than what Mom used to make, and that is saying a lot - Thank You!!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Christmas Party at the Balcon Cafe
December 16
Erhard and Melani are good friends of ours. Both of them came here from Germany, and Atenas has been their home for many years. When on a home construction project, Erhard gets me good deals on tile and other materials. Melani has a reputation for being an excellent baker of breads and just about any other baked good you can imagine. A couple of years ago, she started the Balcon cafe in Atenas Central. Because of the great food and friendly atmosphere, her cafe has become a very popular place for expats to frequent.
Here she is standing right by the entrance. She always has a big smile on her face, which I have always thought has a lot to do with the friendly atmosphere at the Balcon.
As you know, German people do enjoy partying and celebrating holidays, and Erhard and Mel are no exception to the rule. Because of this, they do have several parties during the year at the Balcon. This year, they held the second annual Christmas Event, and had so many people there, they actually had to turn some away. This isn't going to happen again, because Erhard told me that he will just make much more room for the next time.
As you can see, there were many, many people who wanted to participate.
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!
Erhard and Melani are good friends of ours. Both of them came here from Germany, and Atenas has been their home for many years. When on a home construction project, Erhard gets me good deals on tile and other materials. Melani has a reputation for being an excellent baker of breads and just about any other baked good you can imagine. A couple of years ago, she started the Balcon cafe in Atenas Central. Because of the great food and friendly atmosphere, her cafe has become a very popular place for expats to frequent.
Here she is standing right by the entrance. She always has a big smile on her face, which I have always thought has a lot to do with the friendly atmosphere at the Balcon.
As you know, German people do enjoy partying and celebrating holidays, and Erhard and Mel are no exception to the rule. Because of this, they do have several parties during the year at the Balcon. This year, they held the second annual Christmas Event, and had so many people there, they actually had to turn some away. This isn't going to happen again, because Erhard told me that he will just make much more room for the next time.
As you can see, there were many, many people who wanted to participate.
The Place Was Packed!!
Now, check out the Staff's new Outfits!
And then, we have Santa
come on Santa - She still Loves You
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!
Friday, December 14, 2012
Our First Christmas Party of the Year
December 14
Our Friend Pablo Arias
The very first person from Atenas that we met upon our arrival on November 30, 2007 was a young man named Pablo. Pablo is an attorney who specializes in real estate transactions and he is very good at it. In fact, Pablo has been our attorney since day one. In addition, the great place we rented when we first moved here belongs to Pablo's sister Adriana, and he took care of all of the arrangements for us prior to our arrival. This is how we met him and he has become a very, very close personal friend. In fact, I have this saying that there are only two Tico's that I know who I trust with my life - Pablo is one of them.
Because of the excellent manner in which he took care of his client's needs, Pablo's business expanded to the point where he needed to take on some partners to help him. A while later, the firm of Arias Viquez and Roman was formed. This relationship is good for them and good for the clients. They decided to host an annual Client Appreciation Event. What better time to do this is during the Holiday Season. This is the second year for this event and it was a big one.
This is Pablo and his very, very, very close friend Valeria - As you can easily see, he has excellent taste and knows how to make a good choice. Valeria is very sharp and getting started in a new clothing business venture of her own. I have never seen her without a smile.
In spite of the fact that I took two cameras, neither one of them took a good picture that night, so I don't have many to show you. However, I can tell you that there were one heck of a lot of people there. Probably more than 200. Our legal eagles made it a first class event with great food and drink, And, plenty of dancing. The people of Costa Rica love to dance and they really know how to do it well. I just love to sit and watch them do the salsa - Boy are they GOOD!!! From the pictures I do have, you can get an idea of what this event is all about. - Enjoy...
Our Friend Pablo Arias
The very first person from Atenas that we met upon our arrival on November 30, 2007 was a young man named Pablo. Pablo is an attorney who specializes in real estate transactions and he is very good at it. In fact, Pablo has been our attorney since day one. In addition, the great place we rented when we first moved here belongs to Pablo's sister Adriana, and he took care of all of the arrangements for us prior to our arrival. This is how we met him and he has become a very, very close personal friend. In fact, I have this saying that there are only two Tico's that I know who I trust with my life - Pablo is one of them.
Because of the excellent manner in which he took care of his client's needs, Pablo's business expanded to the point where he needed to take on some partners to help him. A while later, the firm of Arias Viquez and Roman was formed. This relationship is good for them and good for the clients. They decided to host an annual Client Appreciation Event. What better time to do this is during the Holiday Season. This is the second year for this event and it was a big one.
This is Pablo and his very, very, very close friend Valeria - As you can easily see, he has excellent taste and knows how to make a good choice. Valeria is very sharp and getting started in a new clothing business venture of her own. I have never seen her without a smile.
In spite of the fact that I took two cameras, neither one of them took a good picture that night, so I don't have many to show you. However, I can tell you that there were one heck of a lot of people there. Probably more than 200. Our legal eagles made it a first class event with great food and drink, And, plenty of dancing. The people of Costa Rica love to dance and they really know how to do it well. I just love to sit and watch them do the salsa - Boy are they GOOD!!! From the pictures I do have, you can get an idea of what this event is all about. - Enjoy...
Pablo, Thank You for Inviting Us
Thursday, December 6, 2012
More Nashville Friends
December 6
You wouldn't believe the number of people who have come down here from Tennessee and the Nashville area. The latest couple that we have the privilege of getting to know is:
They are from the Mt Juliet area just east of Nashville, and are looking forward to retirement in the Atenas area. I got to know Jodie from answering some of her questions via the internet. And, the friend relationship got stronger as time went on. Jack & Jodie are a great couple who have now purchased a beautiful piece of property just outside town where they plan to build their dream retirement home.
You never can tell - maybe one of these days - we will build a Tennessee expat community near Atenas with only exclusive memberships - :-) - Just Joking
You wouldn't believe the number of people who have come down here from Tennessee and the Nashville area. The latest couple that we have the privilege of getting to know is:
Jack & Jodie
You never can tell - maybe one of these days - we will build a Tennessee expat community near Atenas with only exclusive memberships - :-) - Just Joking
Welcome Jack & Jodie
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