Birthday Girls

This post is a little late in coming, but I wanted to make sure you knew about this event. It's hard to believe that 4 of our friends had a birthday within 2 weeks of each other, but only in Costa Rica - it happened. Stef's good friends Cathy, Karolyn, Tammy and Julie decided they had to have a party to celebrate this event, so we did - Take a look...

 

 Yep, that's them - from left to right you see Cathy, Tammy, Karolyn and Julie - It's obvious that they are having a very good time and it gets better. - Check it out

There was a pretty big group of us that met at the Guanacaste Restaurant, one of our favorite places. It was apparent that everyone was set to have a good time.

The Guanacaste is a great, well-run place with great food at very reasonable prices - however, it's not that big and when we bring a group of 15-20 people in there - we take up a lot of space, but we always pay the tab.

At this point, things are pretty calm, but watch out.

Yes, that is really Cathy

OMG!

Karolyn, Stef and Kathleen

This is Stef with my good friend Charlie who has a tendency never to get excited

 

Bob & Harriet who are from Nashville and have become good friends

I think that they are starting to calm down a bit? No chance

 

Of course, Stef and me who are always the calm ones who makes sure everyone is safe and sound. Look at Stef's stare - Looks like I have a job on my hands.

As you can see, it is obvious that a good time was had by all. Until next year - same time, same channel - You know what? I forgot to find out the ages of the birthday girls - probably never will.

FOR SALE

We are starting to make some changes - First, as you already know - we have put our property up for sale so we can down-size and start traveling more.

You have seen the story on our Hyundai Terracan. It is now completely fixed and ready to go. However, it is also for sale because I really want to buy a new vehicle. Not sure that I am making a mistake, but whatever???

You can see both ads I just made at  http://propertiesotherthingscostarica.blogspot.com/

Let us know if you have anyone interested - especially on the house because I am very anxious to start building a new one with our great builder Luis.

INDEPENDENCE DAY - COSTA RICA

September 15th - This is a very big Holiday in Costa Rica and the rest of Central America where they celebrate their day of Independence. What you really need to do is to stock up on everything because all the stores will be closed. So if you snooze, you lose.

In the morning around 9:00 AM they have a parade in the downtown area. Our friends Mercedes and Luis usually have reserved seats in an open area restaurant right on the parade route. They invite Stef and me and several of our friends to join them this year. Take a look.

As you will see, the entire parade was made up of kids. There were hardly any adults in the parade.

It was a good day for all and one where you learn more and appreciate the people of Costa Rica.

.

My God - Have We Had the Rain!!!!

This is normally the rainy season, which I really like the best. But, the last month has been one heck of a wet one. In fact, we have had 4 times the rain that we should normally have. It has really been wet and I have not seen the sun for at least a week! Noel, our gardener has not been able to work most of the week due to the rains, and is now hurting for money to take care of his many girlfriends. All the roads to the Pacific are closed due to landslides and falling debris onto the roads.

How the rainy season normally works is that the mornings are sunny and beautiful. Then around 2:00 PM it starts to cloud up. Around 3:00 PM it starts to rain pretty hard for an hour or two. Then it clears up and is nice for the rest of the night. The next morning is sunny and bright and it looks like it never rained. - That is the normal rainy season and I really like it.

Now, what we have had in the last week due to a tropical depression on the coast has caused landslides, 90 roads to be shut down, a problem with my septic tank and more. They say that all of this has been caused by what they call La Nina - The world weather has changed dramatically in the last decade, and I have some concerns about what the future has in store for us.

Don't know what to say, but now the weather is headed up the east coast of the USA, and I wish them the best of luck.

38 Reasons Why Move To Costa Rica?

Chris Howard is a well known author in Costa Rica. His books include those on learning the Spanish language and valuable information about the country and it's people. In addition he also has tours through various parts of the country to educate people about Costa Rica. The following, is an article he wrote for the internet news site "Inside Costa Rica" that I thought would interest you...

By Christopher Howard M.A.*, www.liveincostarica.com

(1) Year-round spring-like weather in the Central Valley. One of the most ideal climates in the world. No heating or A/C needed in this area, so you will always feel comfortable

(2) An unblemished international image and reputation. How often doe you hear bad news about Costa Rica? Only good news! As the say here, “Solo bueno,” which means “only good.”

(3) Latin America’s oldest democracy

(4) NO army or terrorism. Costa Rica has NO enemies.

(5) Excellent health care at a fraction of the price you would pay at home. Dentists are cheap, too. Many doctors and dentists are trained abroad. Costa Ricans who reach the age of eighty have the longest longevity rate in the world beyond that age. This is mostly due to the country’s lifestyle. Many a foreigner who has moved here claims that “they have added years to their lives and life to their years.

(6) Good real estate investments if you do your due diligence and buy at the right price. In 2006 Costa Rica was considered one of the world’s best emerging real estate markets. Many properties are in locations with breathtaking panoramic views. You would pay millions of dollars for these views in some parts of the U.S. Costa Rica is a prime warm-weather destination like Hawaii and retirement haven which will drive the real estate market in future years.

(7) More North American residents proportionately than any other country outside of the U.S. They can’t be wrong!

(8) A tightly-knit expat community

(9) The ONLY country in Latin America with a time-tested organization (Association of Residents of Costa Rica or ARCR) to help you with everything you need to make the move from A to Z.

(10) An excellent quality of life. Costa Ricans have one of the highest life spans in the world and the country boasts around 900 centenarians.

(11) Good communications with high-speed internet in may areas. Cable and satellite television are available with all of your favorite programs from the United States.

(12) Tax savings - The financial benefits of being a U.S. citizen living abroad is attractive because you can enjoy the tax-free foreign earned income benefit of more than $90,000 per year.

(13) Opportunities for savvy entrepreneurs

(14) Friendly people with a great sense of humor and a country populated by one of the “happiest people in the world.”

(15) Many people but not everyone speaks English.

(16) 1000s of activities to stay busy and happy so you won’t get bored

(17) A nature lover’s Disneyland and the perfect place for those who like adventure tourism. Volcanoes and rain forests are near the Central Valley and the Caribbean and Pacific Beaches are only a few hours away.

(18) Affordable hired help

(19) The country’s sheer beauty

(20) Fantastic beaches with warm water. No wetsuit is needed here!

(21) One of Latin America’s prime tourist destinations according to Travel Weekly magazine.

(22) Many products and services from the U.S.

(23) A huge variety of inexpensive fruits and vegetables available all year

(24) Affordable transportation (buses and taxis). You won’t really need a car here.

(25) Much less expensive than living in most countries

(26) Exotic flora and fauna

(27) Low property taxes ( A quarter of one percent of the home’s listed value up to $200,000)

(28) A variety of local restaurants, offering some of the best chicken and fish, plus, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Italian, Mexican, typical Costa Rican food and more.

(29) Convenient Location. You can be in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale in under three hours.

(30) Beautiful and devoted women.

(31) Low violent crime rate compared to most places. I wouldn’t be living here if I thought my life was in danger. Crime is on the rise world-wide and Costa Rica is no exception. NO country is entirely crime free nor is immune to the increasing crime rates that you find almost everywhere in the world. Furthermore, the news media likes to sensationalize crime in every country.

(32) You want to experience a new culture and people

(33)) You want to do volunteer work like teaching English to school children or contribute something to the country in another way

(34) You want the life-long experience of learning a beautiful language to open a whole to new world of possibilities

(35) You want a simpler lifestyle

(36) You want start a new and exciting life abroad

(37) Costa Rica is a place for those who believe and are willing to seek something better in this world and their lives.

(38) Plus so many more intangibles
 

* Christopher Howard M.A.
Relocation/Retirement Expert: www.liveincostarica.com
Author: www.costaricabooks.com
Linguist: www.costaricaspanish.net

Stef's Birthday Party - She Knows How to Celebrate!

Stef's birthday was August 9th. In talking to Dennis, I found out that his and Karolyn's 32nd anniversary was on the 11th. Taking all this into deep consideration, we decided to have a joint celebration of these two very important events on Tuesday nite the 10th. The chosen location was at the Guanacaste Restaurant, which is rapidly becoming one of everyone's favorite eating establishments. I got on the phone and invited about 20 friends who all confirmed that they were ready and able to join us. I also got our gal Mercedes to bake a birthday cake and anniversary cake for the event. Unfortunately, Karolyn got some sort of infection and was sick so she could not attend, but Dennis made sure he made it there.

This is the birthday cake that Mercedes made for Stef - Does it not look delicious?

This is the one that she made for Dennis and Karolyn - I can tell you right now that both were absolutely great. Thank you Mercedes!!!

This is Karolyn and Dennis at my birthday party. Sorry you couldn't make it Karolyn and hope you are feeling better now.

I really kind of felt bad for Dennis because Karolyn wasn't able to join us, but he is a real trooper and held his own. However, he does really look a little lonely without his bride. But you can see that Big Lee is trying to console him.

Now, you need to check out the Birthday Party Girl who seems to be having a great time with her friends. I'm not in the pictures because I happen to be the camera man for the picture shoot. - Take a look

Stef, just after dinner with her cake and a very big smile

The party girl with our friend Bek from Arkansas

Si

Again, with our neighbor Dan

 And, our new friends Sue and Chris Reynolds who have just moved here from Arizona

Having fun with Big Lee and Mike

And, her Ya Ya Sister Cathy

Then, her friend Ursula and Dottie who is visiting Lee and Cathy.

Well, it turned out to be a real event, and it is obvious that everyone had a great time. Fortunately, Robin and Ursula drove us there and back home because the Hyundai #@*& wasn't out of the shop yet. When we got home, Stef went directly to bed - Would you believe that? Oh well...

The Hyundai

Well.. remember I said that I wouldn't bet against anything else going wrong with the Hyundai - it did, but really was my fault. I got it hung up trying to pull into a lot in Hacienda Atenas. As a matter of fact, so bad that the running boards were hung up on the asphalt and the right front tire was off the ground. I tried to back it off, but didn't work even though I put it in 4 wheel drive. I kept on hearing the left rear tire squealing, but nothing happened. I ended up going forward while really trying hard not to drive it over the cliff and 300 ft down. Made it ok, but tore up the rear-end doing all this. Luis the mechanic is now in San Jose trying to find me a used rear-end so we will be back on the road in style.

All I can say is that this time - it was my fault...

Retire in Atenas, Costa Rica

When we settled in Atenas, we felt that we made a very good decision. The weather is great, the mountain views are outstanding and the people are wonderful. Well, to confirm that decision - AARP Magazine just rated Atenas as the 3rd best place in the world to retire abroad. Check it out by clicking the link below and then the link to AARP Magazine.

http://www.welovecostarica.com/public/AARP_Ranks_Atenas_Costa_Rica_One_of_The_Best_Places_to_Retire_Abroad.cfm

When looking at the pictures in the link above, the house you see belongs to our friends Ed and Johanna Lane. It's located just over the hill from our humble abode.

This all makes us a little more proud of our little town..

Thieves

Just a quick note on a website that has caused some problems with our email. They sent a tease from a friend of mine and I signed up to see the friend's pictures. When I did that, they went in and stole my email address book and started sending out the same tease to everyone on my list. The company is called "My Daily Flog" and their website address is:

http://www.mydailyflog.com/

 

If you get an email with this in the subject line - I would suggest you delete it.

I just uploaded a photo that I want you to see!

I hope that you don't run into the same situation that we did. - That is all

Vehicles - What Fun They Are

The second day Stef and I were in Costa Rica, we bought a 1997 Toyota SUV. With the exception of the radiator blowing out on the top of a mountain, it was a pretty good truck. One day, Stef decided that she wanted to up-grade to a newer vehicle and I kind of thought the same thing. I also had a neighbor who really wanted to buy my Toyota bad.  I started checking things out and decided to find a Hyundai Terracan. They have a very good reputation here in Costa Rica, and most of them are diesels - something I really wanted. Since I was 15 yrs old I've had somewhere between 50-60 vehicles, and never really had any major problems with any of them. Until now...

This is our 2002 Hyundai Terracan. It's a 2.5 Turbo diesel with a 5 speed manual transmission that can really take the hills well. I bought it from the CFO of HP here in Costa Rica. He was the second owner and had had it for 3 years. We had narrowed down our choice to 3 Terracans and this one because of the low miles and price seemed to be the best deal. Because I was so excited to get a new truck, I really did not check it over that well - Boy, that was a big mistake!!!! By accident, I found out that the original owner had used it for commercial use (diving equipment) and had ran the hell out of it. - Now this truck has about 69,000 miles on it. So far, we have had to:

• June - new clutch under warranty - new syncro in the transmission, misc front-end work, AC work, 4 new shocks, and other - $1,400 - Oh yes, and I had to buy a new set of tires because what would last 80,000 miles in the US only lasts about a year here because of the roads, curves and steep hills. - $600
• May - rebuild the turbo - $1,000
• April - new injectors and other - $550
• Before that - the list goes on, and on, and on

Now this week, after all this and the truck is running great - A power steering hose blows on me - another $80 - Is there anything else that can go wrong with this truck? I am certainly not going to bet against it!!!!









This our mechanic Luis Sanchez (on the left) and his right hand man Lazarus - If it weren't for these two guys, I would have had to take the "Gringo" shaft on many occasions. Luis has an outstanding reputation for his knowledge of cars and has saved me at least 50% of what I would have had to pay in the states. - I am probably his most consistent customer.

Now, we have the GEO Tracker that Charlie owns. (This is a picture of it with the old convertible top on it). Believe it or not, I think that he has only been able to drive it twice since he bought it because it is always in the shop for something. We found it through a friend in Grecia who said they ran a check on it because they had thought about buying it. According to the check they ran - It was first a rental car in Hawaii that had the left front fender smashed, then a couple in South Carolina bought it and kept it until some guy in Costa Rica bought it and shipped it here - It is painted a very nice color of blue - based on our experience  - we call it Katrina Blue

Here we have a picture of it with the new fiberglass top I had installed. Makes the car look much nicer, more secure, much more quieter riding and the rain does not get inside anymore. We don't drive this car that much. Only when the Terracan is in the shop. However, the mechanical things done to it are:

• New transmission
• New AC unit
• Complete new front-end
• And, just a few other things...

The vehicle you see below is the most dependable transportation we have. I have had it a little over 2 years and have spent a total of $200 for regular maintenance. It has a 175cc Kawasaki engine, 4 speed plus reverse. It gets 75 mpg on a straight run but only about 40 mpg where we live because of the roads and hills - not bad! I drive it to town and around town a lot. All the pretty girls around just look and smile at it (probably wish they had one). The Chevy emblem you see on it was a gift from our friend Billy Walker. I have been asked many times if it was in fact a new kind of Chevy.

I apologize for this post being so long, but this has been on my mind for a long time. When we sell the house I can tell you  - Goodbye Terracan,  hello something new - hee hee

A Little Change in Focus

As some of you know, Stef started a business a couple of years ago called Costa Concierge Services. The purpose in doing this was to keep her busy, and it also gave us the opportunity to help others who were moving here to Atenas. I got involved when I started helping my friend Charlie with his private development of new homes named Villas de Atenas. We made my end of the business a separate division of her corporation for tax purposes and to keep things simple.

Since we started, we have built a network of great resources. I remember when we first got here and needed a plumber  - I had no idea of where to start looking. Now, I can have a qualified plumber over here in less than an hour.

At first, Stef offered a lot of services in fact, too many services. During the period up to now she has found that she really enjoys two general aspects of the business that she now intends to focus on. They are:

• TRAVEL RELATED SERVICES - this includes: car rentals, tours, lodging, cell phone rentals and more. Because she is more familiar with the region, Stef will concentrate on the areas from San Jose to the Pacific.
• PROPERTY MANAGEMENT - Because of the network of resources we now have, she is more than qualified for this and can probably get things done much quicker than anyone else. Stef is already getting involved with several projects where people have requested her services. This part of the business includes: Taking care of properties and making sure the bills are paid when people are away. She will also become more involved in managing rental properties.

Now, what about ole Pete? Many people coming to Costa Rica to build a house get a real strong dose of Culture Shock. Homes are built completely different here. The materials are different, the labor methods are as labor intensive as you can get, and the inspection processes are no way the same as the US. After building two homes of my own, over-seeing the construction of Charlie's project and now, over-seeing the construction of Keith's new guest house - I have learned a lot! And, you know what? I really kind of enjoy it. When we sell our property, I am really looking forward to building the new house. Most people think I am crazy, and maybe they are right. But, I know good reliable honest builders, I know where to buy the materials at the best prices, and who can build us the finest cabinets and doors around. Some people come to Atenas, hire a builder to build their house, and then they take off back to the US with complete trust that the house will get built - In many cases, that is a HUGE MISTAKE.  Taking all this into consideration, I am going to get much more involved in the area of Construction Management. This will give me the opportunity to keep busy with something I enjoy while helping to make sure people coming here to build a house get more of what they want and expect.

In addition to this, I am using my marketing experience to help market some properties for friends and others. I hate selling real estate so I have selected some good companies to take care of the sales part of the deal. You can see the properties listed on our website.

Speaking of websites - Our webmaster had a very bad personal experience and moved back to the states. I had to find a new company to take over her work. Well, I decided it was time to completely re-do the site, and I mean completely re-do it. By the end of the month you will be able to see a totally different site, different concept with a very clear picture of our change in focus.

This should give you an update on how retired people never really quit working :-) - Take care

Father's Day

Mother's Day in Costa Rica falls in a different day and month than the US. However, it appears that Father's Day comes on the same day.

My two daughters Christie and Amanda, each called me this morning to wish me a happy Father's Day. It was great that they remembered me in spite of being 2,800 miles away. A few of our friends have the same situation with their kids not being close to be with them, so we decided to head to Grecia to have a late lunch at what is supposed to be a great steak house. Because it was Father's Day, we had to make reservations that were secured for 1:30 PM. Well, we all met up in Grecia (about 1/2 hr. north of Atenas, and known for being the cleanest city in Central America)

The Galeria restaurant turned out to be very nice and clean. It is located by the famous Grecia steel church that was a gift from Belgium. It was assembled in Belgium and shipped to Costa Rica where it was reassembled in Grecia.

I went back to get the camera out of the truck to get some pictures - This is a picture of the front of the building, Standing in the doorway is my friend "Big Lee" - remember the post where I told you that he played and coached football at UT?

The only problem with the restaurant was that it took a very long time to get our drinks and food. The first round of drinks took about 45 min. Although we were very thirsty, I can tell you it was worth the wait - and besides, we didn't have anything else to do today.

Seated around the table (going to the left) is the Big one himself, his lovely wife Kathy, the soon to be famous artist Stef, our friend Bek from Arkansas who is building here and will move down in a couple of years, Dennis and Karolyn Matthews who are a great couple from Colorado.

This is 2 1/2 hours after we ordered our meals. But, I can tell you that it was about the best steak that I have had since coming to Costa Rica. - In spite of the fact that we ended up having more Rum & Coke than we intended, we survived. No... Lee is not passed out, he is just ducking so you can see Dennis & Karolyn.

Based on the quality and price value for the food, we will be back again to eat here.

This Girl Has Talent

Stef has been taking art lessons every Monday morning for about the last several months. Now, she didn't know it and neither did I, but the girl has some talent. She is into water colors and in a class taught by our friend Mary Park.

Below, are a couple of samples of her work that we had framed and put up on the wall in the salon area.

Being a very well-known art critic...I can tell you that I am impressed. She has been working on floral objects and now graduating up to sketches of people, but she ain't going to sketch a picture of this ugly old man..

The Girl With the New Green Thumb

Well, my lovely wife has finally did it - She joined a Garden Club and got interested in growing herbs and vegetables. After 3 unsuccessful attempts of starting a garden - she finally got it on the 4th try. - I will let her explain it to you because besides not being able to cook, I have no idea of how to grow food. This is what she put in an email to some of her friends here in Costa Rica:

For those of you Nay-Sayers, my thumb is getting greener!!!! Yeah!

These were just taken this week of my new raised garden. The first time ever I have grown much, and I lost the last 3 gardens for various reasons - - - -bad soil, bad drainage and bad shade - - - -but after researching raised beds and a lot of advice from experienced ones, I came up  with this plan.

Look at the difference in the beds of lettuces, they were taken 3 days apart and I think they are growing about an inch a day!! They sell really bad soil here, so you have to get real creative and just about make your own. I used half soil and half coffee shells in the one on the left and then they ran out of the coffee things, so the bigger one on the right is 1/3 soil, 1/3 charcoal and 1/3 rice shells - who knew!!!!!

  Th

This is the curb view to the garden. It is made of bambo poles with a 50% sun shade over the structure. The two tables you see are where Stef is getting her plants into the soil

She can thank Pete, Gerald & crew and the various suppliers for the new walk to the area, the new sod on each side of the walk, and the new plants that are present.

These are some of the plants she planted only a couple of weeks ago.

Ms. "Green Thumb" coming back to the house after a long day in the garden :-)



Anyway, I'm sure she will keep you all informed of the progress!

May We Have Your Attention

Stef and I moved here what will be 3 years in November. We bought some property and built what we thought was going to be our last home. Well, we put so much into it that it has become much more than we want to handle - We have made the decision to down-size on the lot and house. The objective is to sell the property, buy a lot in Hacienda Atenas with a smaller building area and build another house. I already have the ideas for what we are going to build and have a great builder to build it exactly the way we want. However, to do this we must first sell the current property.

By selling this house and building a smaller one, we will have the time to start doing a lot of traveling throughout Costa Rica, and the rest of the world. I once promised Stef that I would take her to the places in Europe and Asia that I have been...She is still waiting.

The property is listed with many of the local realtor's and we will soon be going on the new MLS with a specific realtor. The link below will take you to one of the realtor's ads that I think is especially cool because it includes the house being shown on You Tube. - let me know what you think.

http://www.property2.realestatecostarican.com/index.php?action=listingview&listingID=417

Wish us luck, and don't worry - we will always have a place for you to stay

The Nashville/Jaco Man

We met Dale Patterson through Bob McDow many years ago. When he found out we were moving to Costa Rica - He told us that he was building a condo on the Pacific Coast in Jaco. This bustling town on the beach is only an hour away from our home.

Because of his busy work schedule, Dale scoots in and out to Jaco and back to Tennessee on a regular basis. He will usually drive through Atenas and meet up with us for lunch or something on his way in or way out. This time, we were fortunate enough to have him stay the night on his way out so he could catch an early flight the next morning.

Here we are having dinner at LaTroja's where Frank grilled up some great food. Dale had a filet and said it was probably the best steak he has ever had - Great job Frank!

When we got back home, Dale showed us pictures of the devastation from the recent flood in Nashville - This was unbelievable, and we are very happy that all of our friends and family made it through with no major problems.



Early the next morning, Dale headed out to the airport to catch his flight. - Don't worry, he will be back soon - We are looking forward to it.