I Rode a Horse!

Unfortunately, no one had a camera to capture this fear-overcoming event, but it happened just the same. Horses are B I G creatures. I like to talk to them when I pass them in a field, but mounting them and holding on for dear life is not something I've wanted to do.

Until tonight. We were at El Picadero, a new horse place in Rio Oro, Santa Ana. Susan, Yalile, Lupe, and others plus I were sitting at the bar, tossing back a few on a Friday evening. This place has stables that board horses and a ring for riding and for breaking horses. A pretty (can a horse be called pretty?) beige horse was standing in the ring, and Lupe said she wanted to ride. The horse's name is Cariñosa, which translates into "affectionate."

The owner of the place, Santiago Montes, helped Lupe mount the horse, and off Lupe went on Cariñosa, walking around the ring. Lupe has a bit of performer in her (she was La Reina, the Queen, of Santa Ana a few years back), and waved an arm with a flourish at the crowd.

When she got off, my friends pushed me to get on. The stirrup was so high up, I needed a boost to get my foot in it, and then I could barely swing my other leg over her back. But I got on and it felt great! Scary at first, but freeing, as though I were casting aside a long-held fear.

Santiago gave me instructions for how to turn - in Spanish, of course - but it didn't click for me right away. Yet Cariñosa figured out what I wanted her to do. She is a gentle horse, probably used to neophytes like me.

We rode around the ring three times. When it was time to get off, Yalile helped to hold the horse steady, and Cariñosa stepped on Yalile's foot - oh no! I sort of slipped down the side of the horse (not the right way to do it) to dismount.

I felt so great! I plan to go back to ride again.

Riding on the high (excuse the pun), Susan and I went to Coyunda's later where karaoke was going on, and I sang a duet with Francisco (he has a great voice) in Spanish! I have only sung karaoke there once before - Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones - a duet with Jefferson that we both sort of screeched. This time I sang A Mi Manera = My Way by Frank Sinatra. Everyone applauded in support. Susan and some others looked shocked that I could actually sing. I just need to find a song that lets me sing in my mezzosoprano voice. Usually songs are too low for me.

I overcame two fears in one night. Now I want a karaoke machine with Spanish and English songs for my birthday so I can practice at home. I might want a pony, too.

Indian Food and Karaoke

Most Thursdays I have lunch with a great group of expats at Robin's Kitchen, where Robin serves up a variety of lunch specials and the best desserts in Costa Rica. Until yesterday my favorite was mocha pie, but that rich and creamy delight has been bested by the tart and sweet key lime pie. Maybe next week I'll pick another favorite, like the orange cake.

I joined this group of brujas (female witches, affectionately named after the mascot of the city where we have lunch, Escazu) in February of this year. We talk about anything and everything, and it has been a lot of fun getting to know each woman.

One of the things I like best about this group is that we celebrate birthdays. In April I received many gifts, and for a single person without much family and certainly none in this foreign country, it is a blessing and a comfort to be shown such love and friendship on my special day.

Yesterday we celebrated Carina's 40th birthday. Carina is from Sweden and is a very good golfer (she broke 80, whatever that means). But instead of going to the restaurant, Corinne invited us to her house way up the mountain of San Antonio de Escazu. Finding Corinne's house was a trip, because we did not have clear directions and no one's cell phone had a good signal. But we finally found the house with all windows overlooking the Central Valley.

This is a wine-drinking group, so we started with reds and whites with our appetizers. Corinne, a Philippino, is married to an Indian and has learned to cook delicious Indian food. I also love that we are somewhat of an ethnically diverse group. Corinne prepared all the food with love and attention to detail. We ate on the semi-enclosed balcony and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Jane brought her little angel, Alexis, who will turn one year old on Lisa's birthday in July. Alexis munched on Cheerios while we enjoyed chicken, rice and eggplant dishes and flatbread. I wish I could remember the names of everything.

While Robin wasn't there with us, two of her desserts were. The key lime pie and a chocolate cake. Corinne added a carrot pudding that was also very good. Of course, we sang happy birthday to Carina, and she opened our gifts.

Then we piled into the living room and turned on the karaoke. Oooooweeee! Did we have fun! We have two professional singers in our group, Barbara and Sally, the former and the current lead singers from Harmony Roads, a rock n roll, country, blues band (see my story, La Lunada). And the rest of us did the best we could. I had never sung karaoke before, and was a little hesitant to try, but I felt supported by the group, and after the first song, no one could shut me up. It's like singing hymns in church: it doesn't matter if you can carry a tune or not when you sing with passion and zeal.

Our lunches usually last 2 to 2.5 hours, but we stayed at Corinne's 4 hours. And then she sent us home with doggy bags of her yummy Indian food.


Barbara belting out a song with Alexis on her lap