Our Vacation to Connecticut

August 4 - August 13
Important Note: When you click on the pictures and websites, please right click to open in a new window.

WOW!!! What a time and our host and hostess were the best!!!

Ed and Johanna Lane have a home near us in Hacienda Atenas. Since meeting them, we have grown to be quite close friends. Ed is retired from the NYFD and Johanna is a retired Attorney. One very important thing to note is that they have been married 49 years!! That's correct - 49 years!! Now that is saying a lot for a couple being able to get along well. Ed and Jo invited us to their home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and to spend some time on their boat "Maine Idea." Stef has always wanted to visit that part of the US, and her birthday was coming up, so we eagerly accepted the invitation.

We arrived at the New Jersey Airport late at night on the 4th. It's a 2 hour drive from their home to the airport. They were waiting for us at the International Terminal, but for some reason, the pilot took us to another terminal. Thank God they found us!! We got back to the house late, chatted for a bit, and got to bed around 1:00 AM. Really needed to get rested up because they had a real comprehensive schedule for us during the rest of our stay.

The next day we were in the recovery mode from the trip. That night, Ed & Johanna hosted a dinner with friends and family who we knew from visiting their home in Costa Rica. Everyone had a great time and the food was wonderful.

The following day, Captain Ed and Admiral Johanna were ready to board ship and head out to sea. The deckhands (us) were excited and ready to join them. The "Maine Idea" is a great boat. It is a one of a kind designed and built by Joel White. It's a 1982 50' wooden trawler, that they keep in immaculate condition. This boat is Ed's baby. Check it out  - We got to the boat about mid-morning and headed out to Block Island, which was about a 4 1/2 hour run from the home base.

Block Island - This is a pretty cool place, and we spent a couple of days there. We checked out the town there, did (Stef, Ed & Johanna) did some clam digging while I looked for lost money and jewels. One night we went to what seemed to be a big party at the marina docks where we drank some realllly good mudslides. For more pictures of Block Island click here - More more information go to this website Block Island

Martha's Vinyard - We headed out the next day early to sail to Martha's Vinyard where we stayed another couple of days on the boat. I've always heard about this very famous place, but had never been there.
Well, we were in for a real treat. The island is everything we had heard about, and more. On the first night, Johanna's brother Anthony brought us over Maine lobster for dinner, which was fantastic. Anthony has a home on the island, and he lent us one of his vehicles to explore the sites here. The next day, we toured several small towns here and did a little shopping. That night, we went over to his house for dinner where his wife and Johanna made a fantastic dinner to celebrate Stef's birthday. Good conversation with great friends. For more pictures - Click here - To see the website Click here - The next day we headed out for:

Newport, RI - It was about a 4 hour trip where Ed decided that I should pilot the boat for awhile. Now, I am a very experienced lake and river boater, but this is entirely a different game. I have never piloted a boat like this especially in seas where the swells were pretty significant - They were to me that is. Ed finally relieved me of that duty and took over the controls, which allowed me to breathe a little easier.

We arrived at the marina in the early afternoon and got the boat moored. God, there were some pretty big yachts there. In fact, the largest privately owned sailboat was docked there, and it is impressive. - We got a water taxi, and headed into the dock to go check out the town.Newport is a neat town with that old Northeast flavor where you wonder what it was like living there 150 years ago. We strolled around for awhile then stopped into a place for a bite to eat. That night, we ate on the boat and just relaxed. Click here to see pictures of Newport and many of the neat boats. To see information on Newport - Click here to go to the website.

The Trip Back to Old Saybrook - We only stayed one night at Newport and headed back home the next morning. It was an interesting trip and very relaxing. Of course, Ed didn't trust me to pilot the boat much this time. Check out these pictures to see some of the neat scenery we were fortunate enough to observe. There were some huge mansions along the shoreline and many other neat things to see.

We got back to the house late afternoon. Everyone was tired so we had a quiet dinner at the house. The next day, we spent time looking around Old Saybrook and doing some shopping. That night they put on a BBQ for us, again with friends and family. Stef and I also had to get packed for the flight home the next day. Don't forget, it's a 2 hr drive to the airport. The next day we were headed back home to Costa Rica.

Ed & Jo were a huge part in providing one of the best vacations we have ever had. And, I know that they made sure that Stef definitely had the best birthday of her life. You can't ask for better people.

Animal Relationships

This is Abby just after a bath. She was a stray we found here on our lot when we were building the house. Abby is very street savy and will stand up to, or knows how to avoid any creature in the area. She now has a new buddy to play with, and his name is:

Sunny  - who is a young Yellow Lab that Amanda adopted several months ago from the shelter. Sunny is big and strong, but very gentle - he is also Amanda's new best friend.

The two dogs love to play together, and will do so for hours. They also like to chase cats up tree. Both dogs are obsessed with this sport - However 

This is "MOM" - we call her that because she had a litter in January, of which 3 for sure of the cats are still around. Then, she just had another litter about 6 weeks ago. We don't know where she had the last litter, nor how many survived. But, she did bring one of them to us because she was asking for help with the kitten. We found it a new home. Now, Mom is also a stray that we had during construction. The workers always reminded us to buy food for the cats, which we did. The workers left, but Mom & her 3-4 children did not. The cats that the dogs like to tree are Mom's kids, but Mom does not take any crap from either dog, and has let them know quite brutally. I keep telling the dogs not to mess with Mom, and I think that they are starting to understand.

Guess Who is Back in Town?

Yep, it's Charlie. Several weeks ago our dear friend Charlie Hughes came back to visit. Remember, Charlie is the one who said I was crazy for moving to Costa Rica? I will never let him live that one down! :-)

This time, he brought his friends Ricky and Barbara Dixon. These are two very wonderful people that we quickly became friends with. This is not based on Charlie's recommendation, but how we found them to be.

Ricky is one of Charlie's partners in the housing community they are building, so they had to check it out (tax deduction for the trip?) Beside that, Charlie took them around Atenas to show them our neighborhood, and I think that they really liked it. In addition, they had contributed some things to the local orphanage last Christmas and wanted to visit there. Stef took them there and I think it was a very rewarding visit for them and the kids. One of the things I noticed was that Ricky was really enjoying the peace and serinity of Costa Rica. Never can tell what his thoughts for the future are.

As usual, we ate out often and had a great time. Ricky and Barbara, you guys are welcome anytime.

To see all the pictures - click here
Barbara took a lot of good pictures
Some of them are of the investment project they own
Others are adventure/fun pic's

Our Crew

Our humble abode is a high maintenance thing, so we have a need for many people to keep it up because I am so very lazy. We have people to clean the house, take care of the plants and lawn, and a handy man when required. The people that we hired are all fantastic and care about our needs. Below, is a little bit about them and what they do:

Julio - This is our handy man and he is a real trip. He spent many years in the Northeast US working hard to save money and send it home to his wife. The only problem was that she gave all the money away to her family. $64,000 in fact. Needless to say, Julio came back & found this out - he divorced her! Julio is a Godsend - if something goes wrong and you need it fixed, he will be there anytime day or night. However, he charges more than the others because he always needs a helper. For the two of them, we are forced to pay 3,500 colones per hour (highway robbery) - that equates to about $6 USD per hour. But, I will forgive him for that.

Anna Cecila - (on the left) This girl is fantastic! She comes every day to mop and clean the patio/Rancho areas. We never thought that would be necessary, but believe me it is - Anna Cecila also takes care of our pool. During her recent family tradegy (which I will discuss later) she held the entire family together while taking care of all the needs - this was a major job!!! And, this girl is only in her mid 20's. - She is a real sweetheart, and we love her and her family mucho.

Liz - Pronounced Leez - Another great gal who Stef absolutely adores - Don't even think about hiring her away from Stef! She comes to clean our house and guest house 3 days a week for 4 hours each. The average weekly cost is about $30 a week, and she does a great job! We found her when she did the final construction clean-up on our house before we moved in. Liz has also become to be a friend to Stef, and she will do anything Stef needs.

Noel - Is a 19 year old whom I have become to like a lot. So far, I've had him work every day since he started. Noel is dependable and does a great job of doing everything related to the grounds. Right now, he is in training to take care of the yard the way I would like to do it myself - Please remember, I am getting very lazy :-)

Netty - Is a very experienced gardener who is here every Wednesday to take care of the specific gardening details - He is also Noel's uncle. He also does work for everyone else in the neighborhood, so we can't get him every day.

There are a couple of other guys that I'd rather tell you about in a separate post because they are very, very special to us. - Stay tuned...

What Are We Doing Now?

Some think that retirement is where you take up a hobby to stay busy, or just relax all day. Not true for us because we are busier than we ever have been.

Stef
Well, she did get a little bored after awhile so we came up with an idea to keep her busy. Because of all the experiences we went through in getting accustomed to living here and what we learned, we decided to start something up where she could help others to adjust a little easier than we did. The business is called Costa Concierges, SA. It is a service business engaged in property management, travel / lodging arrangements, and a host of other services. You can see her website at Costa Concierges to see everything she has to offer.

Pete
I have retired 3 times now, and I guess there will be another time or two. The construction of our house and guest house took up a lot of my time during the last year. Now, I am into marketing by working to revamp Stef's website, into construction management with helping my friend Charlie get a housing project completed and sold, and several other projects that I'm working on. Each day goes by very quickly. One major retirement objective I have is to sit in my Rancho by the pool and drink a refreshing Pina Colada. Hasn't happened yet.

About Atenas

After much research and travel here, we decided to settle down in Atenas, Costa Rica - We really like Atenas and this brief article will help expalin why:

A town in the middle of it all

Perfectly positioned between San Jose and the pacific coast of Costa Rica, Atenas offers a relaxed, rural lifestyle with all of the convenience, diversion and security that comes with proximity to a major city. Located 35 minutes from San Jose International Airport and just over one hour from the beach towns and the marina and golf courses of Los Suenos, Atenas offers an idyllic home base in Costa Rica.
Ideally situated at 2400 feet above sea level in Costa Rica’s Central Valley, Atenas enjoys pleasant spring like temperatures year-round and offers a stunning natural environment. The rich volcanic soil found in the region is excellent for agriculture and there is an abundance of diversity in the flora and fauna that is part of the unique ecosystem in Costa Rica. The coffee grown in the central valley is considered some of the best in the world.
A peaceful, yet vibrant town (5,000 inhabitants, 18,000 with the suburbs), Atenas is anchored by a hard-working prosperous agricultural community. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming, and the economic disparities found many developing areas are non-existent. Within walking distance of the town square are a community health center with ambulances, schools, banks, boutiques and most restaurants.
The plan to complete Pan-American highway to run from San Jose to Orontina has been approved. The project began January 2007 and is scheduled to be complete in 30 months. Situated along this route, Atenas will now be just 45 minutes to the Ocean beaches and 15 minutes to Escazu.

Attractions & Amenities

The Atenas town location offers you easy access to:

• Beaches
• National Parks
• Golf
• Performance
• Shopping
• Health Care

Looking for a Better Life

This is our daughter Amanda. After making a couple of trips here she decided that Costa Rica was the place to be. The economic situation in the US and a job with no future made her make the decision to move here. She put her home up for sale, and sold it in 9 days - she sold her car in 1 day - Now is this not an indication that this was meant to be? She now lives in the upper apartment of our guest house and is the assistant manager for Stef's business, In addition, she immediately adopted a Golden Lab, which she named Sunny - More to come on that.

This girl has displayed alot of courage and determination - And, I am very proud of her!!

Stef's New Friend

As you know from the last post on our old blog - Our dog of 12 years, Sugar died. She was a wonderful dog and we loved her very much. Just before that, we adopted a stray dog that was staying around our construction site. I think that she is a pure bred Brittney Spaniel and we named her Abby. The day Sugar died, Abby disappeared for 5 days. We found out that she went to a market down the street and stayed there. The guy told us that she would just lay there and not eat during the entire time. We think that she was in mourning for Sugar. Abby is a stray street dog and has her ways. She will listen to us until she gets to the end of the parking area of our drive - After that, forget it, she isn't going to listen to anything and is going to do her own thing. I think that she is out terrorizing the neighborhood, but she comes back home after awhile all worn out. This is a picture of Abby with Stef when the dog is under a little control. - She has been a blessing for Stef after the passing of Sugar.

Our Guest House

Well, we built it for our friends. Believe me, it was not an easy chore. Pedro started building it for us and then bailed out because he said he was out of money. Funny, because we gave him a 65% down-payment! Anyway, we found a great guy to finish the place and he has done a great job. His name is Luis Alapazar. He is a local Costa Rican builder who is honest (not like Pedro) and we trusted him enough to finish Charlie's project and a few others. This home was built for the use of our friends when they came to visit. In other times, we will rent it out to people coming to check out Atenas. - What do you think?

For more pictures - click here

Our New Home

Our home is finally 99.5% completed, and it took 10 months to get it to where it is now. It is very comfortable and we are enjoying it very well.

The home is about 2100 square feet.  We have two king master suits, a living/dining area, kitchen, 1/2 bath, pantry, safe room and more. Including the covered patio area it is around 3200 square feet. We spend most of our time outside so this is very important that we have a large covered patio area. The covered patio area is called a Terazza in Spanish. We love it.

The house sits on about 1.81 acres that we have landscaped about 70% - The 3000 plants that we put on the hill above the house won an award for the most contribution to the beauty of  the city. A flag flies in honor of this.

Total cost for the land, house, pool, rancho and guest house was about $20,000 more than we sold our condo in Brentwood. - Not a bad deal.

One thing to note is that we do not have heat, nor A/C - You don't need it when you live in the best climate in the world :-)


For more pictures click here 

Background

Living here in Atenas during the past two years has been a real experience, and we have made some progress:

• We built our new dream retirement home here in a gated community named Hacienda Atenas. It is a great place with wonderful people living here whom we have made some great friends.
• Along with 4 others, we had a major problem with the local builder - This is another story in itself.
  
• We have made great friends around town. Many Expats and Costa Ricans.
• Stef started a new business to help others coming in that will help them get through some of the things we had to endure. Check out her website at Costa Concierges.
• We now have a great new dog named Abby.
  
• Our daughter Amanda moved here earlier this year to live and enjoy what Costa Rica has to offer.
• Things are starting to calm down now, and I am really looking forward to finally enjoying a Pina Colada near the pool on a sunny afternoon.