Semana Santa 2010

Susan, Nano and me



During Semana Santa, the Holy Week leading up to Easter, ticos take off work and head to the beach. This is a good time for gringos to stay put in the Central Valley and enjoy driving around without traffic jams.

The holiest days (and thus least worked) are Thursday and Friday. On Thursday Indio (my beau of two months) and I started out at 9am for a day at the beach. I was driving and planned to take the new toll-road highway. As soon as we got on the highway in Santa Ana, the backup started. Uh oh. I got off quickly and aimed for Plan B, the old highway going through San Jose and the mountain area of San Ramon. That was also a non-starter, as we were waved off the highway at an early exit. I thought there had been an accident, but it I learned later that the road was plugged up with motorists.

Plan C came to me in a flash. We wanted to go somewhere cooler than where we were. It is summer here, and the dog days in the sun are draining. I headed southeast from the capitol, where the weather comes in from the Caribbean side and tends to be cooler.

We drove through Cartago and into Paraiso (Paradise). I knew of a beautiful, free park there, El Mirador (the view), and that's where I pulled in. We spent a lovely day under a big shade tree, picnicking and napping. There was a small group of men piloting RC (remote control) planes, which was fascinating to watch.

Friday's plan to accompany Dolores to the tattoo artist fell through as the artist realized at the last moment that it was Good Friday. His cancellation made for a relaxing catch-up day for me.

On Saturday, Susan and I headed out past Cartago and Paraiso to Orosi to visit a friend of hers, Nano. Orosi is a lovely little town in a beautiful valley. We parked the car at the bottom of a mountain, and hiked up a very steep incline for 45 minutes. I am still sore three days later. Nano is a mountain man who subsists on growing coffee beans, giving tours of a waterfall, and with the help of visitors who come from all over the world and bring him things. We brought him rice, juice, bandaids, and a few other things.

We spent several hours visiting with Nano, who is a jokester and gracious host, and three other ticos who were visiting him. Susan had brought a pasta salad and we dined well, al fresco.

On Sunday I went to a pool party. There are four of us (Corinne, Marilyn, Lisa and I) who pal around together (it's our scrapbooking group, although interest in this hobby seems to be waning), we converged at Marilyn's, along with another woman from our Thursday lunch group, and their spouses. We played in the kiddie pool and ate a delicious pasta meal that Avram (Marilyn's husband) prepared. My peppermint patty brownies were a hit, too.

The last hurrah was going to the Cariari Country Club as Corinne's guest. Lisa, Corinne and I swam in the olympic-sized pool. Well, Corinne did a lot of laps; Lisa did some, and I went up and back a couple of times then pooped out. Corinne, who is married to an east Indian, helped Lisa plan her October trip to India, while I read People magazine, smug in my already-set plans for Spain next month.

I got to spend time with a lot of my favorite people, and I also had enough down time to make me happy.

Marilyn's Birthday Pool Party

Our Thursday lunch group, the Bruhos, celebrated Marilyn's birthday in her back yard. The invitation read, Come to a birthday pool party. Bring your bathing suits, towels, and pool toys.

When we got there, the pool turned out to be an oversized inflatable wading pool. Avram, Marilyn's husband, had blown it up for us. It may have been small, but it was just the right size for getting wet and playing.

It was a cool and cloudy day, so most of the dozen women didn't want to brave the water. But Lisa, Corinne, Bethea and I dove in. Well, stepped in is more like it.

Lisa led us in water aerobics - she takes a class, while I couldn't help myself with the little yellow rubber ducky that was floating in the pool. I filled it with water and got great joy out of spritzing Lisa, Corinne and Bethea.

The birthday cake was an orange cake from Robin's. Happy Birthday, Marilyn!


Bathing Beauties: Lisa, me and Corinne

Academy Awards Party

It dawned on me the same time it dawned on Patty - I should have an Academy Awards party at my house!

I have been seeing a lot of movies lately. Joining me are Patty, Lisa and Corinne, and sometimes Marilyn, plus Bethea makes noises that she wants to come with us, but she hasn't made it so far. So we all had opinions about which movies and actors should win Oscars.

Most parties here are potluck, so I made chili and provided some wine and beer. Patty brought olive tapenade on bagel chips, Sharon made melted cheese on yummy bread, Barb and Rich made corn bread muffins with bacon, and Bethea brought three desserts: chocolate candy with candy cane pieces on top, banana bread and M&M brownies. We ate so much we about burst.

I handed out ballots that I had printed from the Internet, so we could keep track of which of our favorites won.

It was great fun watching the show, eating, and talking. What a surprise that The Hurt Locker beat out Avatar for best movie! We were all glad that Kathryn Bigelow won the best director award.


Patty and Sharon

Party Weekend

Frank and me



Costa Rica is such a party place. Last weekend I went to two and had one of my own.

Friday night was Frank's birthday party. My friend and former student turned 45, and invited many people to his home/beauty salon to help him celebrate. For the occasion, I made peppery cheese sticks using puff pastry for the first time. They were yummy!

I spent the evening talking with a Belgian, Peter, who has lived in Marbella, Spain, for the last 25 years. He was staying at the Cariari B&B, and the owner, Laurie, who is Frank's best friend, brought him. Since I am going to Spain in May, I was very interested in learning what Peter had to say about Spain.

On the way home from the party, about 10:50pm, there was an earthquake - not a bad one, just about 4.4, but it was felt throughout the Central Valley. What I felt in my car was just a little something, like a bump. I saw a van in my rear view mirror and thought it had just barely kissed my bumper. It wasn't until the next morning when I read about the earthquake that I realized what had happened.

Then on Saturday Diane had a going away party for her Yvonne. I had met Yvonne at Diane's last party, so that was reason enough for me to go.

Someone had brought a red wig and people were taking turns posing with it on. It was the source of great amusement and laughter.




Also at the party, I saw Shell for the first time since I won our SuperBowl bet.


After Diane's party, I put on my dancing shoes for the first time since I broke my little right toe four weeks earlier and headed over to Coyunda's. It felt good to dance again, although the toe still hurt.

Jane's Baby Boy Shower

Jane and Aideen



Jane is going to have her second baby - a boy! Jane is the youngest member of our Thursday lunch group, the Bruhos. We threw her a baby shower at Corinne's.

Of course, this eating group starting with mouth-watering appetizers (including one containing smoked anchovies brought in from Scotland). For lunch, we had salmon, rice with vegetables, and salad. And dessert was spectacular with Naughty Nuggets and a chocolate cake with cherries.


Lisa, me and Laura






George, what Lisa calls the soon-to-be-born baby, received many adorable presents, including clothes, booties, stuffed animals, baby books and book ends.



Karina, Jane and a stuffed animal




Then we adjourned to the living room where we played baby-related games. First we had to guess Jane's girth by cutting ribbon that would fit around her and her belly. Karina won that one. Karina won the next one too - matching celebrities to their children's names. Then we had to identify celebrities by their baby pictures, and finally we had to unscramble baby-related words. Marilyn got the most right. A big thank you to Laura for coming up with the games!


Lisa holding up a scrambled word

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.

Election Day

The first female president of Costa Rica was elected on Sunday!

One thing that I love about elections here - this was the second that I have witnessed - is the positive, happy attitude that ticos have about electing their representatives. Sunday was a party day. Cars honking their horns with political parties' flag waving drove up and down the streets. Party was in the air, and there was no animosity between the parties or the candidates.

In fact, I watched a little of the TV debate with the top four contenders, and several times the candidates walked over to another candidate and hugged them. That would NEVER happen in the U.S. Here, it's possible to have different positions and to still treat each other with respect and love.

Alongside the election for adults Sunday was an election for the children. It was done electronically, same as for the adults, to teach the children that voting is important and easy. Some 70% of the population of Costa Rica voted on Sunday, and Laura got 46.78% of the vote. She needed to get at least 40% to avoid a runoff between the top two contenders.

La Presidenta Laura Chinchilla will take office in May and run the country for four years. Neither the president nor the members of congress are allowed to run for consecutive reelection.