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!
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:
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!!!
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!!
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.
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...
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:
Jack & Jodie
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
A Little Background
There are two special days during the year where Stef and I host a gathering of many wonderful people. They are:
Thanksgiving - We started this annual event when we moved to Costa Rica to celebrate the visit of our great friends from Tennessee - Bob & Carol. It usually turns out to be a good time for everyone who attends.
St. Patrick's Day - This is the celebration of the day Stef and I actually met face to face. For years we have had many parties celebrating this day. In fact, we have had as many as 200 people attend the event at our home in Nashville. This event is getting to be a pretty big one here at our home in Costa Rica.
When we built our home here in Atenas, we wanted to make sure that it would be a welcome and pleasant place for our friends to visit. In addition, we wanted to make sure that there was enough room for many people to have a good time. After hosting these events for the past few years, we really feel that we met our objectives.
This event keeps getting bigger and bigger and we love it!! Two years ago, we had about 35 guests - Last year there were over 50, and this year - over 60 wonderful people joined us in celebrating a real US Thanksgiving Dinner with Turkey and all the fixin's.
All the tables and chairs were delivered the afternoon before the event and Pete was up early the next morning to start setting up the tables and then the girls took care of the rest. The red vehicle in the background is Ana Cecilia's Shuttle Service that brought all the people up to the house from the road where they parked their cars - As you can see, there is some planning that goes into having an event like this.
The Big Event began around 2:00 PM and people started arriving right on time. Within an hour, just about everyone was there. Look at the crowd of smiling faces:
Our neighbor Don and Ray with his CRWIFI guys who are instrumental in making sure we always have the internet up and running.
Ursula chatting with Loek and his lovely friend.
Our neighbors and friends Peter and Nim
Stef chatting with . - Do you think she is plotting against me? :-)
Dona and Mary turning around to show us their pretty smiles.
Roxi chatting with our friend who just became her new friend - Ron
Our wonderful Attorney Pablo and his close friend Valeria
This is our dear friend Mercedes
Yours truly with the "Sisters in Transition" Judy and Roxi who recently moved to Atenas from Portland, Oregon.
Me and my very Best Friend and Beloved Wife - My Stephanie
Dona and Bob from Ohio who have just finished traveling around Europe, but wanted to come back and enjoy Atenas again.
And, there is more..
And boy, did they bring the food!!! Take a look at this..
We had four 6' long tables set up for the food and they were all full from one end to the other. - You name it and it was there.
There were recipes from many parts of the world including some great new dishes from our new neighbors and friends from Italy - Look to your left in the big tray. Mmmmm very good!!
It was unbelievable how much great food everyone brought. This is probably the best food that many of us have ever eaten for Thanksgiving Dinner - Thank you Everyone!!!
And, last but certainly not least - The assortment of many tasty desserts where we had put them on our dining room table to make sure they were protected from many watering tongues.
Now, we cannot forget to mention some of the other people beside me who helped put this event together.
Stef, who worked her butt off on the food section of the agenda and our girl Elieth, who ended up spending a total of 12 hours today in getting things ready and the final clean-up. Camera shy were Liz who worked together with Elieth, Ana Cecilia - who handled the Shuttle Service in her usual efficient manner and Ana CC's brother Gerald who made sure the vehicles were taken care of. - Thanks to all of you!!
The event went on until about 7:00 PM - That night and the days after we got many emails from people to let us know how much they enjoyed the festivities. However, all we did was to supply the tables & chairs and a place to have the event - We want everybody to know that it was them that made this Thanksgiving another successful event
Well, for some reason, Stef is now the Chairperson for the 2013 Atenas Chili Cook Off. And, her and the committees are already working on the plans for this great event. It amazes me that the first one we went to in 2008 had 30 attendees - Now, the 2012 event had a gathering of over 1,000 people and they are expecting more next time. The objective is to double the money given to the children's cause in 2012, which was $5,000. That is big!!!
The date for the 2013 Atenas Charity Chili Cook Off is
February 10, 2013
Stef and her gang are really working hard to hit this big objective, but believe it or not, you would be amazed at the amount of support they are already getting. When it comes to supporting a great cause, the good really comes out in people. Some of the things they are looking for are:
NEEDS:
Volunteers to help on the day of the event
Local and international contributions (think I'm kidding? They had much of this last year)
Suppliers who can contribute to help make the event bigger and better than last year - That- is going to be a tough one to beat.
This morning Stef and I just sat down to eat breakfast when it sounded like a train coming at the house. We both ran outside and things really started shaking, and there were white caps in the pool with water splashing out onto the stone patio around it. This shaking lasted what seemed like a 1/2 hr, but in reality was about 30 seconds by the time it stopped. I can tell you that it was pretty scary watching your house shake like ours did. Fortunately, this is usually taken into consideration when building a house here in Costa Rica - the footers of our house are 48" deep and reinforced with a lot of re-rod to secure it. When I checked for damage to our house and 3 others in the community that we watch for the owner's who are not full-time residents - none of them suffered any damage.
There are usually about 3,000 quakes a year here, but the majority of them are very weak and you don't even feel them. Since we have been living here, there are only two others that kinda' concerned us. However, today's event was a big one. This quake ended up at 7.6 magnitude - They originally thought it occurred off the coast in the Pacific, but later concluded it was below the land.
Below is the link to the map of where it happened ( the big square is the major quake and the smaller squares reflect the locations of several other smaller quakes). There, you will also find out a lot of information about the "little event" we had today.
This is Ike. He is a stray cat that came with the property when we were building the guest house. At the time, he was just a half grown kitten. Ike had 7 brothers and sisters that we caught, then took to the vet to get them fixed and found homes for them. For some reason that I can't remember, Ike ended up staying here. He hasn't caused any problems for us in spite of being a little wild. Our dog Abby is always chasing him up a tree. I don't know why the cat just doesn't turn around and swat her across her nose and she would never do that again, but I think that he just likes to get chased by Abby.
This has been a very bad year for this poor cat. Earlier in the year, he was bitten by a snake. Then about 6 weeks after that, bit in the head by another snake where his head swelled to about twice it's normal size. Now, we are not talking about any snake here, we are talking about a Fer de' Lance. One of the most dangerous snakes in the world. If it would have bit Abby or us - we would have died. But, for some strange reason, cats are not affected that way. Our gardener Noel told us "just let him go and do what he needs to do and he will be ok in a couple of weeks" - Noel was absolutely correct.
Well, if the snakes weren't enough, it seems that Ike was recently hit by a truck. Although he lived through it, the inner side of his right rear leg was scrapped down to the muscle. It was not a pretty site. We had to catch him and take him to the vet where he ended up staying for several weeks - at a cost of $20 per day. This was because the only place we had for him at the time was the great outdoors and the vet was highly concerned about infections and the possibility he would lose his leg. We tried taking him home to take care of him and he escaped , but came back the next day. Then one of the apartments came available for awhile so he stayed in the Meow Hilton for about a week. Then he had to go back to stay at the vet's for another week. - He is now finally better and the leg is looking pretty good. The pictures here are both after all this has happened.
They say a cat has 9 lives. Well, it is an obvious observation that this cat has definitely used up 3 of them. Many of my friends say that we should have named him "LUCKY" - That is about as correct as you can get.
Don't look at me like that - I was just joking
He really is a great cat and good friend. And, believe it or not, Stef & I never really cared much for cats before, but things change.
Is a very special day for us. It marks the beginning of a new year for Stef because this day is her Birthday!!! As you know, this girl loves to party especially when she is celebrating a special event. This year, she did it in two stages - All in One Day!! - Keeping this in mind, I am going to separate this posting into two parts:
Stage One:
Since around the first of July, we have been honored to have the "Sisters in Transition" stay in one of our apartments while they are waiting for their permanent residence to be ready. Judy and Roxi pulled up stakes in the US, and decided to settle down in Atenas. They are a couple of great gals who are a lot of fun and we are rapidly becoming good friends.
Well, the morning agenda had Stef, Judy & Roxi, and Stef's good friend Cathy scheduled to run some errands in San Jose and Escazu. They ended up having lunch at our favorite Indian Restaurant - the...
As you can see there was some celebrating going on with the girls.
Starting on the left and going to the right around the table, we have Judy, Stef, Roxi and Cathy - Kind of looks like they are having a good time.
This is a sample of some of the food David had prepared for them, and they said it was wonderful.
And now, the Birthday Girl wishing all of you the best!!
Stage Two:
Now you didn't think that I wasn't going to help her celebrate did you? Well, I have got to tell you that with the help of our dear friend Mercedes, we had a pretty big dinner bash for her hosted at the Guanacaste Restaurant. I have to tell you that Mercedes went all out to make sure it was a big success.
We are very fortunate to have her as a friend
I sent out invitations to a bunch of friends and everyone I invited said YES, we are coming. It turned out to be about 30 people in total and Mercedes made sure the guys at the Guanacaste were prepared and had things set up. This event turned into a really great time. Click the arrow to check it out
Then there was the cake Mercedes baked for Stef - The kind our friends often say
"This is the best cake I have ever put into my mouth"
And, there is me saying some nice words about my lovely wife.
WE HOPE THAT YOU HAD A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART LOVE YOU!!!
Many of you know that I am not into the Political crap, but I really think that this article hits the nail on the head, and I just had to share it with you.
Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel... He has been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.
Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.
This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican nor anti-democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
A not too funny Poem
This might be funny if it weren't so true. Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table, At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes Are the rule.
Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat.
Tax his ties, Tax his shirt, Tax his work, Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he Tries to think.
Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries Tax his tears.
Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways To tax his ass.
Tax all he has Then let him know That you won't be done Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers; Then tax him some more, Tax him till He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in Which he's laid...
Put these words Upon his tomb, 'Taxes drove me to my doom...'
When he's gone, Do not relax, Its time to apply The inheritance tax.
And, The Different Taxes We Must Pay
Accounts Receivable Tax Building Permit Tax CDL license Tax Cigarette Tax Corporate Income Tax Dog License Tax Excise Taxes Federal Income Tax Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) Fishing License Tax Food License Tax Fuel Permit Tax Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon) Gross Receipts Tax Hunting License Tax Inheritance Tax Inventory Tax IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax) Liquor Tax Luxury Taxes Marriage License Tax Medicare Tax Personal Property Tax Property Tax Real Estate Tax Service Charge Tax Social Security Tax Road Usage Tax Recreational Vehicle Tax Sales Tax School Tax State Income Tax State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) Telephone Federal Excise Tax Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax Telephone State and Local Tax Telephone Usage Charge Tax Utility Taxes Vehicle License Registration Tax Vehicle Sales Tax Watercraft Registration Tax Well Permit Tax Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and; our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
I really don't have anything to add to this - it's obvious that the writer said it all.
