Friends, Friends, and More Friends Here

February 2013

This is the time when our great friends find their way out of the US and down to our little piece of paradise south, south of the boarder. It started out with Bob & Carol several years ago and then Charlie - Soon the word got out and more came this year. Stef and I loved every minute of it and were happy to see some people we haven't seen in years. At one point, we had a BBQ for about 20 of our friends and it was great.

Just Hang'n Out and Relaxing

Bob & Carol from last year's Boat Trip celebrating Bob's Birthday

Charlie & Victoria with a beautiful Costa Rica night time background

Ed & Johanna getting ready to party 

New This Year - Our great friends from Nashville, Billy & Vanesa

More New Visitors from Nashville - (clockwise)
Myles Sloan, his wife Leslie Sloan
Kevin Pugh, Carol (you know her already), and then Kevin's wife Annie Pugh

Camera shy - was our good friend from Boston - Kathleen Reardon who brought a couple of her friends 

I can tell you right now - that this is one hell of a party crew!!!

You owe it to yourself to read on to the next couple of postings

(I set them at an earlier date to keep them in order)

ATENAS CHILI COOK-OFF 2013

February 10, 2013 - The Day!!

WOW!!!!

That is all any one can say about this year's event. It was unbelievable!!! 

When Stef and I moved here, we attended the 2008 Chili Cook-Off - there were about 30 of us in attendance, 5 chili teams and they made $300 - Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that and everyone had a great time. I just want to use that as a comparison as to how things can grow in a short period of time. 

Last year, at the 2012 event, there were over 1,000 attendees and they were able to raise $5000 to give to the Hogar de Vida.

This year - Check it out

1,700+ ATTENDEES

$20,000 RAISED FOR THE KIDS!!!!

Absolutely Unbelievable...

The CCO committee worked many months to put this event together, and got a lot more sponsors involved this year who were instrumental in helping to make it a success. I can probably state that this is probably the largest annual event in Atenas, and is getting close to being the largest expat event in Costa Rica. It was started by Kay & Tom Costello of "Kay's Gringo Postres" and is for a very worthy cause.

This is a home for abandoned, abused, or orphaned children located here in Atenas. They are supported to a certain extent by the Government, but no where near enough needed to make it work. So Kay & Tom decided to help, and the tradition has been carried on. The theme of the entire event has become to be known as "It is for the Kids"

To see a Great Video on this Wonderful Event, please click the link below:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJNo9yZ9ICM

Their newly revised website contains a lot of information and more pictures of the event - Please check it out by clicking the link below:

http://www.atenaschilicookoff.com/

Now, one more thing that I need to very proudly mention is - that the chairperson of the 2013 committee just happened to be my lovely wife Stef who has now been asked to be the chairperson for the 2014 Event. After what she and her fellow committee members did this year, it is going to be a big one to beat. However, I have all the confidence in the world with this team.  

Just to give you some advance notice, the 

2014 Atenas Chili Cook Off 

is Scheduled for

February 9, 2014

It's Palmares Time Again!!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The sleepy little town of Palmares, Costa Rica is located about 10 miles NW of Atenas off of the Pan American Highway. It is really a nice town that Stef and I actually considered as one of the choices to live when we first came here. Nothing much really goes on there during the year - EXCEPT MID JANUARY WHEN THEY HAVE A FIESTA THAT IS KNOWN WORLD-WIDE. I FOUND OUT THAT THE ONLY OTHER WORLD EVENT WHERE MORE BEER IS CONSUMED IS AT THE ANNUAL OCTOBER FEST IN GERMANY!!!! Yep, a wild & crazy bunch of party animals right down the road from Atenas.

Since coming to Costa Rica, we have been there several times. It always seemed pretty quite when we were there, but found out that if you go during the day, not much is going on because it all really starts at dusk.

The event usually lasts about 12 days & nights - this year, it looks like they decided on 13 - check out the 1st page of the event schedule to see some of the events...

This year, we decided to take a Sunday to head over and check out this years festivities. We asked Bob & Donna Vadas to go with us. This great couple had been renting apartments from us every time they came to Atenas on their world-wind tour celebrating their retirement. They seem to be looking for a place to settle down to retirement and keep on coming back to Atenas. They have not only been good renters, but have become dear friends of whom we admire and respect.










 In addition, we also took our good friend Bek Kaiser as he was getting a little bored being home at his beautiful mountain top retreat that he just recently built.








Well, we got there late morning and this is what we experienced....

This is how it looked around noon - As you can see, there are not a lot of people there

So, we decided to have a little lunch and some refreshments

As you can see, mostly cokes here, but I did sneak some great rum from Costa Rica into my cup.







I look absolutely terrible in a hat and never wear one because of that. However, I have been wanting one for a long time. Well, I found out Donna also had the same situation so we both went to one of the vendor tents and decided on a hat - What'a Think?

Not sure about ole Pete, but I think that hat was made for Donna - and I told her every chance I got.

Then, we agreed to partake in a sport activity that I haven't done since Jr High School.

 BUMPER CARS!!!

Do you see a look of absolute determination on Bek's face?

I think he is thinking...

"I'm gonn'a get you man"

Then there is Stef quietly sitting in the background planning on getting both of them dudes.

Then comes the Cowboy who is going to get everybody - But didn't quite make it - Everybody was too good for him, but he just blamed it on the car.

That was a blast, and we all had a great time. We All Want to do that again next year!!!

Finally, we decided to go where the real action was, and that was the Bullfight. Now, it is time to let you know that this is not the type of Bullfight that you are thinking it is. No swords are involved, but it can get a little dangerous if the bullfighter cannot run and jump fast enough to get away from the bull that is chasing him.

The event took place in a large round building that was made for things like rodeos and bullfighting. We were fortunate enough to get some seats on the upper level not to far away from the bar. From here, we could see just about everything that was going on. Take a look below...

Now comes the action - check out to see who is chasing who and who knows how to climb a fence the quickest...

Well, it was pretty fun and we put in a full day watching all the activities. As we were leaving around 5:00 PM the place was starting to get packed.

This is one of the 3 entrances

Until Next Year!!!

New Year's Eve

and.... OUR 29TH ANNIVERSARY!

So, for Stef and me - there is a double reason for us to celebrate every December 31st, and this year was no exception. "It's amazing that my girl has put up with me for so long - Outstanding tolerance wouldn't you say?" 

A small group of us started out with a great dinner over at Robin & Ursula's house and then we ended up at a New Year's Eve party at Herb & Dian's place who have a beautiful house high on a hill overlooking the Central Valley directly into San Jose. They have a couple of parties every year, but this is the first time that I had the privilege of attending one and boy do they know how to throw a party. Now, every time I see Dian, I call her the "Party Lady."  Check out some of these pictures and you will understand why:

When the clock struck midnight and the fireworks began - from Herb & Dian's house - you could see the fireworks that seemed like the entire country was setting them off - I told you that these people in Costa Rica really like to party!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

FROM

STEF & PETE

Happy Holidays!!

December 25
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!!

Dinner at the Home of Judy and Roxi

December 24, 2012

This is Judy (R) and Roxi (L)

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:

http://costaricasistersintransition.blogspot.com

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!!!!

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!!

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.

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!!!!