Greetings from Shillmac
 

Pura Vida Fodor Friends!

Writing from beautiful Rancho Naturalista--it is a gorgeous morning. After all this time, I still think WOW every single a.m. We've been doing major relaxing since arrival on Thursday. Flight from MIA was interesting, right over Cuba, and short! 2.5 hours.

Will meet with engineer tomorrow morning and try to get the ball rolling on some kind of structure! We hope to get our retaining wall up this summer. We visited a gorgeous home nearby yesterday and got a few ideas from the people who built it. Good ideas, good advice. On a much grander scale than our simple abode, but still useful ideas, just scaled down considerably!

Heavy rain yesteray afternoon and into the night. It was nice, good time to hang out on the deck, in the hammock, with a book! Reading the 3rd of the trilogy of The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo.

We hope to go into La Suiza tonight for a typical Costa Rican bullfight, no hurting the bull. Just a bunch of wild Ticos in there dodging whatever he brings their way. Should be fun! Also think we will go to CATIE this a.m. and enjoy the gardens. Do a little birding.

Just wanted to check in and shout out to Percy, tully, hip (see you in a few days!), vgirl, cattails, jeff, nonstop, and so many others. Have a great summer everyone!

Heaven is morning in Costa Rica watching the birds and wildlife, sipping the delicious coffee... you made it! :)

Hi Shillmac,
Sounds like heaven! Funny, my reading list for Costa Rica next month includes The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. Is it really as good as everyone claims? Everyone is raving about it. Have fun, pura vida!

Hi Shillmac,

You sound so happy! The birds and views would be wonderful.

We'll be in Iowa all summer. The gardens are lovely, so we're content. Tickets are already bought to return to Belize in January.

Iowa is looking a lot like Costa Rica this summer. Lots of rain and very lush.

Glad you made it there safely and are all ready soaking in the pura vida. :-) Sounds wonderful? Good luck getting the structure off the ground...literally.

See you on the dock on the 29th!

Sounds wonderful and relaxing. Good luck with the house - that's pretty exciting!

I've heard good things about that book too. I might have to check it out!

Oh, how great to be back at Rancho N. - say hi to Herman, Chris, Kathy and all. Hope the hummers are swarming the way they were in November, one of my favorite spots in the country.

Aren't the Tico bullfights a riot? We laughed so hard at those guys out there trying to attract the bulls who preferred to go back in the gate...

Good luck with the house! Did Kathy finish the new lodge below yet? Just don't know how she'll handle it along with Rancho N.

Enjoy your summer in Costa Rica - sounds like heaven!

Hi everyone! kathy is very generous with her computer. We are staying in the 'big house' with her. Yes, it is finished and lovely!

Bullfights were awesome. We laughed so hard. Large group from Houston came in yesterday with several teens. Lisa, Kathy's daughter, and DH and I took a Land Rover and our car loaded with folks. It was a riot. Dangdest thing though, 2 of the teenagers with us felt it necessary to jump the fence and participate. We felt lucky to get them out alive! Crazy kids.

We have a new engineer, and he wants to build the entire house at once, starting in August. . .he doesn't like the idea of the wall first, first floor later, 2nd floor later. Thinks it won't be as well integrated as it should be. So if we can get all plans completed from our architect the project will start in August. We will visit again in October, probably Thanksgiving, maybe Christmas. He thinks it will take 5 months. We may be ready to spend Spring Break here! Can't imagine, but it is looking like that is the case. Building is somewhat like planning to trip to visit Costa Rica. Seems you have to investigate several alleyways until you find the right one to seems the best fit. Everything comes together in your heade and with the plans just right. We hope we are at the end of 'discovery' and ready to start with action. Sounds like we are. Humberto and Carmen are a tremendous asset for us, them living right here. He is our man in all of this. I am so thankful that we know him.

Thanks, all, for the good wishes. As for Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, here is the thing. It starts slow. Don't give up. Seems like it took about 200 pages to really take off. I know, that is a lot. Second book, though, hit the ground running, and also the third. They have to be read in order. So if you begin, bear with it. They are excellent books!

Time for me to go get in the hammock and read a little right now! Pura Vida! Off to Bosque on Friday! Sorry to miss Phil and Kim as they are going to FL for a few weeks.

Oh Shillmac, you are living the life I want to live in a about 15 years (when kids are out of college). Hopefully we will be able to afford Costa Rica then!

I am too jealous to even say anything :)

ditto percy :D Enjoy that hammock and your book! 5 months, wow, that is record time in CR ;)

So you ARE going to BdC? I knew you couldn't resist! :) So glad that things are coming together. Doesn't it feel good to actually be overseeing things for a change? Must check that book series out - and locate a hammock...

Love getting updates on your house building, Shillmac. Hope it all goes well. Enjoy! Monica, I'm right there with you.

Hi, sounds like you're having a great time, how exciting about the house! We're talking about another trip next winter back to CR, we've become CR addicts too! Hope the weather holds for BDC.

I totally agree with your comments on the Milennium series books, I'm reading the second one now and feel exactly the same way!

Third one is good, also, owlwoman.

Hey everyone.. . .it is a very lazy morning. I am sitting in Kathy's office looking at Facebook, paying credit card bill, checking bank statement, holding a little chihuahua in my lap with a boxer curled at my feet. I have offered to give the boxer a bath today. She needs it. Her name is Shakira. LOL

Yes, cattail, couldn't stand it. It is our big anniversary splurge. LOL 35 years. Hmmm, we deserve it. I can tell myself that. Am good at justifying.

I know, tully, 5 months. . .hmmm. Engineer says to me that we are his clientes and the work will go on rain or shine. Of course, we know it could stretch out.

Hola janienicole--was speaking to Humberto about you yesterday. He is selling nice lots in this area. Still thinking about it?

Percy. . .south african traveler and everywhere else in the world. . .listen to you. Jealous indeed.

monica, well, hey. I'll believe it when we are finally sipping coffee on the deck. Things do seem to be coming together smoothly right now. At least for now. :)

colibri. . .kathy's daughter Lisa is here and she is helping manage the hotel. Kathy says yes, it was too much. They are using the big house for guests as well. food is awesome as usual. Awesome. maybe better than bdc!

Take care everyone!

Sounds like a wonderful way to start your morning. I just posted a question about activities at Chaa - if you did any, I'd love to know what you thought!

Keep us posted on the house progress - 5 months sounds pretty quick. We'd love to see pics too.

Yep, we are thinking it will be more than 5. Planning all school vacation days here probably through Spring Break when hopefully it really will be done. We may be sleeping on sleeping bags for awhile! Saw a great bed made out of bamboo the other day. I really liked that. We think we can have some interesting furniture made. Turrialba area is known for great wood workers. Fallen woods. . .

vgirl. . .we only did ATM and Tikal. Loved, loved, loved them both. Will be forever memories!

Oh yea, some of those great Costa Rican rocking chairs would be nice too!

Hopefully by next year I will have a place to crash out !!!

A Bamboo bed is okay for me ! :)

I will bring a keg of Imperial also !!