Day 13

Animal chores again this morning.  We're getting faster each time, and have developed a division of labor we're comfortable with.

Heading to the animal chores

Francisco's Shop

A carved bald eagle

Carved egret, bendy snake and rolling turtle

The road we walked along

After breakfast, we walked to Francisco's store and bought some souvenirs.  You can see them to the right.  The white bird is an egret carved out of coffee wood.  Francisco makes these himself.  We gave him the rest of our roll of leopard print duct tape.  He had never heard of duct tape and they definitely don't sell leopard print in Costa Rica!  He was delighted.  He also gifted us some beautiful seeds from a local tree.  We will learn how to string them to make jewelry.  Although he gets some business from tourists during the High season,  Francisco may not be able to stay here much longer.  His wife has some odd jobs to help pay taxes, but they might have to move back to the town they both originally come from, Cartago.

Seeds from  Ormosia monosperma

On our walk home, we passed some of the typical livestock: Brahman cattle. Jera thought they were beautiful and wanted to take pictures of them for a friend who adores cows.

Brahman cattle

Jera with cattle!

Another appreciated me

Lunch was greatly appreciated, as you can see.  Fresh pineapple, and string beans with garlic.  Four kids, four forks, two bowls, all gone!  Rose claims that everything tastes better here.  She wonders if it's the Costa Rican air.  Things DO taste better here.  For me it is partly the knowledge that nearly everything we are eating comes from within a 0-10 mile radius.  Also, my days here allow me to sit and eat.  While at Finca Ipe, there is nothing to rush to.


It's chilly tonight.  The rains are hard and the air is cooler than it has been.  It is winter here at the equator.  I'm glad that we are experiencing this Green season.  The High season, or summer, is rather predictable:  hot all day and short days.  No time for siesta at the hottest point.  Not enough daylight to take a break when there are garden and animal chores.  During this rainy season the locals use umbrellas.  We brought raincoats because we like to have our hands free.

Day 12

Nothing on the schedule today except a bit of vacation planning for our last week.  We leave here on June 5th and then travel around a bit until our return flight on June 9th.  "I still can't believe we're really doing this, " says Jacob.  All that we did today was take a quick trip to Uvita, a town to the south west of where we are, to get cash and a few things from the market.  We also ran up to the road and met the fruit and vegetable truck for some more yummy produce.  This time we bought yucca (a lot because we LOVE it), carrots, onions, cabbage, sweet peppers, cilantro, chayote, 2 enormous pineapples, tomatoes, string beans and lots of bananas.  $16 (8,000 colones.)

Picking coconuts

A freshly picked young coconut

 Today Jacob took us down a steep sloping hill behind our house to a small grove of coconut palms.  Beneath the palms are several banana plants bearing 4 foot bunches of green bananas, and a myriad of herb beds at the foot of the trees, protected by their shade.

Jacob demonstrated the use of a 20 foot bamboo pole with a wire basket at the end of it to pick the large yellow young coconuts.  These are most valued for their water, and the fruit is thin and gelatinous, not thick and fleshy.

He's getting pretty good with that machete, the blur in his hand

Next, he used a machete to cut away the fibrous husk and we collected about 2 cups of coconut water, a super nutritious electrolyte drink from Mother Nature.

We would later make banana, lime, coconut smoothies with it.  The Ticos call fresh fruit smoothies frescas.  They add sugar.  We didn't.






We were also able to pick more starfruit from the tree outside of our house, and more limes.

Star-fruit tree outside of our house.

Samuel inside his fort

Close up of Passion Flower

When we returned to our house, we had some relaxation time.  Jacob built Samuel an elaborate fort with all the couch and chair pillows.  We also looked back at some old family videos we have stored on the computer and laughed a lot.

Passion flower- looks like a mini martian glaring at you!

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There is a flower here which is particularly gorgeous.  It's called a passion flower and it's the flower of passion fruit, which is an oval fruit with a tough outer skin filled with edible seeds covered with a gelatinous stuff.

Passion Fruit

We brought one into the house today to study.  Here are two pictures of it.  You can see that it has 10 petals, 5 on top of 5, and 5 anthers, and what look to me as 3 stigma.  I'm not sure if that makes sense, though. The black frilly things beneath appear to be modified petals.  I'm sure it's all designed to call the hummingbird which pollinates it.

Anatomy of a Passion Flower

Day 11

Off to the jungle

Looking at a flower

Liana roots reaching all the way down to the water

The roots of a 200 year old tree.

The spring fed falls

At 4:15AM the alarm on kukuclock.com crowed like a rooster to wake me.  I was already up.  I had been worried that the alarm wouldn't work, so I woke up 2 minutes before the alarm just in case!  We had been invited to go on an early morning walk with a new friend Francisco and his wife Carmen, a Tico couple whom we met at the Communal Dinner. We were supposed to be there 5AM.  I needed to wake the kids and get them dressed in long pants, long sleeved-shirt, socks and closed toed shoes, and pack some water and snacks. Then we needed to walk to his house.   I looked outside and decided to go back to sleep.  I would have to get the kids to walk outside up a long steep driveway, along a steep road where cars come screaming around the bend with no sidewalk up to a house I had never visited in the PITCH BLACK.  Never mind.  So at 6:30 Rose woke me up, "Did you forget?" "No, it was too dark.  You should sleep more."   We had a leisurely breakfast of eggs, tortillas and fruit and a little later we walked over to explain our earlier absence.  We were met with quintessential Tico hospitality.  We were offered fresh pineapple and invited to take the walk now even though they had already gone earlier.  Having arrived in shorts and flip flops, we graciously accepted the invitation, and then Rose and I walked back to the farm to get everyone the right clothes and shoes, snacks and water.  Once we were properly outfitted we took off on a real jungle tour.

Swimming in the spring fed waterfall

 We felt so incredibly lucky that Francisco was doing this for us.  Such a kind gentle man, and so knowledgeable about the plants, birds and insects here.  He gave us the royal tour in English and Spanish.  Jacob decided to be our videographer and took a 7 minute video of the 2 hour hike.  I am unable to upload it onto this blog, but if you REALLY want to see it, ask us to play it for you next time you come to visit us in New Hampshire.  It was hot and sunny and steep and slippery in places, but everyone did a great job at uncomplainingly trudging along.  Samuel and Jacob got bee stings, and I got bitten on the arm by ants.  They were tiny ants but packed a powerful bite which left me red painful welts for hours.  We were also shown a red flower called French Kiss, saw and heard a flycatcher, a coati run away from us (a South American version of a raccoon), visited a rain fed waterfall, a spring fed waterfall (photo above), and a very very old tree (photo above).  At the end of the hike, he took us onto his land and gathered guava and green mangoes for us.

Water sprites?

 Did I mention previously that guava is a long, large brown pod shaped fruit with fleshy white seeds inside with a wonderful sweet taste?  I had no idea of this until we got here.  I think in the states guavas are often confused with guayavas which, when ripe, are round yellow fruits on the outside and fleshy yellow or pink on the inside.  The mushy seed-filled center is not for eating.  The seeds are very small and VERY hard, and there are usually one or two white worms in that portion, probably from having been laid there during the blossom stage of the tree.  If you eat them accidentally and don't chew on them, they pass undigested right back out of you.  They are not considered a human parasite.

Upon returning to his home, Francisco served us mango juice, and we spent some time touring his gift shop where he sells handmade carvings of local animals and birds.  As we said thank you and adios,  I promised to return to his gift shop once more.

 A Katy-did in our bathroom on the top of our door.

Take a look at the antennae on the Katy-did in the picture to the left.  They are about 9 inches long.  Its body is about 4 inches.  It arrived last night and has remained 24 hours.  Its cousin is in the kitchen.

Day 10

A cow on our path

That's a cow on the beach

Hot and sunny.  No rain today until 7PM.  Really a treat.  We headed into Dominical on the 8AM bus.  This time we knew exactly how much it would cost, and where to get off, and what stores to stop in and what snacks to buy.  In fact, we went into the same soda, family owned restaurant, and asked for empanadas which aren't on the menu.  We were told that they didn't have any.  So I mentioned that we had eaten them the last time we were there......so he asked us how many, and they made them to order: two with beans, two with potatoes and two with cheese.  This time we treated ourselves to fresh fruit smoothies as well- one pineapple and one papaya.  Mmmmm!   Prior to that we had gone a half mile south of the main beach to a secluded empty cove beach called Playa Dominicalito.   I had read about it in the tour book.  Knowing that we are on the Pacific coast, I determined which direction South was, (at least I know that much geography) and we adventured along a rural pathway past a tent-hostel which had platforms on the beach, over water worn volcanic rocks jutting out into the water, crusted with snails in the manner of barnacles to our swimming spot.  True to the travel guide which pointed us to this pristine private area, the rip tides were less intense due to the protected nature of the cove.  We immediately entered the warm water and allowed ourselves to be rolled over and over towards shore repeatedly, breading ourselves with the black sticky sand.

The tide was rising, and the large rock we had placed our things on eventually was surrounded by shallow water.  After 2 1/2 hours  of frequent sunscreen application  we headed back over the same rocks, interrupting sun-bathing iguanas, and noticing sprouting coconuts that had been resting on the ground. Another thing which fascinated all of us were the small snails.  These snails were no more than 1/8 inch long.
At first we were finding them in the sand and letting them crawl across our hands.  Then we noticed that were were thousands of them very shallowly underneath the wet sand on the shoreline.  Every time a wave went out back towards the sea, they would extend what looked like moth antennae and wave them in the water.  We decided that they must be filter feeding.  Once we noticed this it was beautiful to watch. There were also clams that did a similar thing.  You can watch the video at this link I found which shows the clams and snails doing what we saw.   http://vimeo.com/1216299

After returning back to town we did some food shopping in the local market, and stopped at the souvenir tables one more time.  We went to the same table as the last time, and this time, they bargained themselves down 3000 colones, about $6, when they saw my expression.  We caught the bus back and got to witness something interesting when we arrived at a construction site which stopped all traffic traveling in our direction.  A man selling dried plantains and ice cream asked the driver permission to come aboard and sell his wares to the passengers.  Permission was granted and several people bought the snacks.  He was very polite and not at all pushy.  This is typical of Ticos.  They are simply polite and why shouldn't they let him come on the bus? He has a right to make a living too.  Imagine that scenario in the states.

The frog didn't seem at all interested in eating his neighbor.

And finally, here is a picture of two creatures which visited our bathroom last night.  Here they are on our raincoats.

Day 9

Just a few of the rabbits

Holding the young rabbits while we cleaned the cages

Nursing kid

One of the two pet guinea pigs

All the animal stalls were cleaned today: goat, rabbits, chicks, sheep, more sheep, chickens and more chickens.  It went much more quickly this time because we already knew what to do.  Working as a team of rakers, shovelers, scrapers, wheel barrowers, we even had time to learn more about the resident worker and his son.  I always think that being able to speak with a child in his native tongue in another language is a step towards learning that language.  This boy was very helpful and patient with me as we discussed soccer (futball) and tools in the work shed.  I feel like my mind is reaching a saturation point.  I'm not sure if I can learn anymore this trip, but it's been a long day.

Rose loves the goats

Bamboo truck

Today was also the day we worked on Samuel's truck.  It is ready for use, and Samuel is delighted with it.  Jacob and Rose enjoyed using a grinding wheel to polish and shape the wheels and I finally developed enough courage to use the table saw to cut axles from a scrap piece of some type of dark brown wood.

I guess that means he likes it!

The Finale for the day was a Communal Dinner, something which occurs weekly here.  Despite the downpour, people came to the potluck dinner for the socializing as well as eating.  It shouldn't surprise me that the guests were primarily of European, United States or Australian origin.  Germany, England, Spain, Utah, California, New Hampshire (us), and Australia were all represented.  All told, about 15 adults and 12 children.  The children all played hide-and-seek, and card games, and the adults all talked about a range of topics.  The evening was begun with a circle of gratitude lasting about one minute.  The food was all local and varied:  beans, squash, yucca, potatoes, salad, rice pudding, string beans, chickens from the farm, sprouts, pineapple.  Conversation topics included elements important to consider when choosing property here in Costa Rica such as 2 water sources, 2 roads in, elevation variations, considering what was on the higher pieces of elevation that might lead to contamination of the lower pieces, the condition of the earth for planting, etc. Another topic which seemed to be the hot topic was the varying levels of awareness people have for the real meaning of life, and the recognition that this "is all an illusion. and things will be drastically changing in the near future.  It's all Love.  Don't feed the Fear. "

The reasons for vegetarianism were also discussed and the general concensus was that people should be part of the killing process in some way.  The slaughtering of a bull at a nearby settlement was described in detail from the shamanic journey to the animal, and the love the meat has bestowed upon them.  It all reminded me of a scene from the movie Apocalypse Now.  Very fitting for this setting.

We were also invited to go on a walk at 5AM in a couple of days.  I'm looking forward to that.

Day 8

I have officially lost track of the date, day and time.  We have not made an effort to adjust to the time change, and are still rising and sleeping as we would at home.  It actually works well that way, because we wake up early enough to help with the animal chores.  Today was a quiet day.  Aside from 2 quick trips by car, thanks to the kindness of our hostess, to get some money from the ATM, and pick up bread and cheese, we stayed here.  Our main project was to create my youngest a toy.  We settled on a truck with rolling wheels, with some sort of cart or trailer to pull things along in.  My oldest took a machete and cut some bamboo for the chassis and cart.  With the help of one of the workers who used the table saw to cut it to length, the kids and I used a hand saw and machete to cut it lengthwise and we made significant progress.  A drill press helped in the construction of a hinged covered trailer.  Tomorrow we will find a piece of wood fit for the wheels, and will construct axles.

I had a chance today to converse with two of the adults who live here.  We spoke of the different way of living here.  It is truly possible here in this climate and this economy to live a lifestyle where most of what you do contributes directly to your sustenance and subsistence.  Bamboo grows plentifully here and other renewable wood sources.  Aside from the roof, structures can be built of local renewable materials.  Edibles abound, and food grows vigorously.  Eco-tourism and mindful living and spiritual/emotional growth are thriving businesses.  You can easily make a living as an online coach or adviser, and chat, Skype and email your clients from a hammock.  It really makes me wonder about the importance of extra-curricular activities for ourselves and our children.  Do they enhance or strangle our lives?  The need to earn money to pay for these activities is what seems to drive most of my efforts back in my real life.  Do I have the courage to reexamine the fast paced life we have chosen, or rather, succumbed to?  These questions are good ones for me to contemplate while I am here.

The kids' room

The outdoor shower

The kitchen- no screen on the window

I haven't described the open house style we are living in.  By open, I mean that the walls are all waist high, and then aside from supporting beams, are open.  No window glass, no screens.  There are bamboo shades available on many walls, but half of their strings don't function properly and aren't worth the effort.  As a result, we have learned how to use as few insect-attracting lights as possible in the evening and night.  There are surprisingly few biting insects.  A few mosquitoes and no-see-ums, but mostly flitty moths, and geckos and other lizards ranging in size from 1-8 inches.  The spiders seem to stay outside, for the most part. where there is more to eat.  The bats and birds sometimes fly in and out.  We love it.  Well, most of it.  Frogs in the shower, beetles all over the kitchen  and honey bees on the counter and table have become a way of life for us.  Ants too.  Trails in the bathrooms, kitchen and if someone drops some food in the living room a small swarm of ants desperately trying to carry the morsels away.  And they bite if disturbed. Hard and repeatedly.  We learned that about being outside too.  Rule of thumb is to never stand in one place for more than a few seconds or you'll be sure to get a nasty ant reminder to keep moving!

The dining room, not the deck

My bedroom abutting the living room

The big bathroom- no screens

Day 7

Playa Dominical

Playing in the black/brown sand

We caught the 8AM bus to Dominical today for the beach.  It was a 10-15 minute ride costing us 3000 colones, about $6.  Compared with our last bus ride we were packed lightly: one bag with towels, and one with water bottles and emergency snacks.  The town is a surfer dump.  There is no other way of describing it.  The road to the beach is paved in some places, and dirt in others.  The shops are nearly all bars, although there are an intermittent surf shops with a crowd of over-sunned and surf-happy men.  Nearly everyone visible is male.  There is one hotel/restaurant which is off a side street and is an exception, but it also seems out of place, with its perfectly paved walkways, pristine crystal clear fountain pool, and large airy restaurant bragging Italian style pizza.  Guess where the kids wanted to eat.

Rough Pacific surf

After applying lotion and swimming for about 1 1/2 hours on the black sandy beach covered with the holes of ghost crab burrows, and swaths of drift wood mixed with coconut palm detritus and occasional garbage, we wandered off for lunch.  The large pizza was medium sized and cost $18.  But our bellies were now full enough to wait until we could find some less expensive fare, and we took the time to wander over to a row of market tables covered in all manner of handcrafts and souvenirs.  After buying and bargaining for some local crafts, we found a soda, the Costa Rican name for a small family owned cafe, and ordered empanadas, our newest favorite Costa Rican food: 2 cheese, 2 bean, and 2 potato.  They are very much like knishes.

With two hours before our bus would arrive to take us back to Finca Ipe, we returned to the beach and reapplied sunscreen.  This would be a good time to tell you about the water. It was quite warm, probably 75 degrees Fahrenheit and very powerful.  Tour books, locals and prominent signs warn you about the deadly riptides, and we could feel their force immediately.  My youngest required constant vigilance- he just wouldn't accept the fact that it could sweep him away.  He had a plan to swim along the beach and escape the grip of the current.  Yeah right.  Although he is correct in the method people are advised to use if they are caught in the rip tide, he was no match for its strength.  On more than one occasion, his legs were unable to keep his balance, and he toppled under.  His siblings and I grabbed him and pulled him to safety each time, and I forced them to stay in shallower water.

Shallow water where the rip tides can't get you as easily

Another thing worth mentioning is the beach dog community.  What a friendly bunch, and all on their own.  Some acted as if they had homes, and others seemed as if the were homeless.  There was definitely a hierarchy among them. It was very interesting to watch the doggiest behavior that I ever watched. All the posturing and dominant and submissive behaviors were not influenced by human mores.  Each dog knew his place, and there was no political correctness about it.  Not once did I see a human with this group of dogs.

Returning on the 2:30PM bus we were hot, sweaty, sandy and sunburned despite our lotion and hats.  The sandy water easily rubbed off the sunscreen.  Note to self: reapply more frequently next time.

Day 1

Months of emails, phone calls, internet research and careful planning made me feel prepared and confident with a dose of worldly wisdom.  After a delicious and loving lunch with Tim at an Asian eatery in Nashua, we boarded the Boston Express to Logan Airport full of food and expectations.  We watched tearfully as Tim drove along beside our bus as far as he could before he exited the highway, waving his arm and wiping his eyes...How could I do this to him?  I felt waves of regret, guilt and anticipatory loneliness followed by resigned acceptance.

The Shuttle Bus

As we drove down the road I had plenty of time to prepare mentally for the rushed feeling I would experience during airport security.  I was super-prepared with all suspicious items carefully placed in ziploc bags and prescription meds in their original boxes with labels.  As long as we weren't made to hurry, nothing could go wrong.


 That is, until we arrived punctually at the airport and learned immediately that our flight was delayed due to wet runway conditions, and that we would not be making our connecting flight.  Our choices: full refund, or take the flight two hours late, and wait 10 hours in the Ft. Lauderdale airport before making the next flight to San Jose.  Quick calculations showed me that calling my cousin to come and meet us in Boston would be a frustrating delay with all our luggage, a quick side trip to Chinatown? Also the luggage issue.  Full refund? I looked at the kids and asked, "What do you think?"  "We're staying.  This is already part of the adventure.  We'll sleep on the floor at the airport."  Doubtful glances, but trust.  They trust me.  They think I know what I'm doing!

Catching some winks at the Ft. Lauderdale airport

 So now, we're in Ft. Lauderdale, and the kids are, yep, you guessed it, sleeping on the airport floor.  None of them thought they could, but they all are. Twitching and dreaming and resting their weary bodies while I sit and keep watch in the bright noisy baggage claim area.  The adventure has only just begun.  Stuffed in my pocket, written on a napkin with a borrowed pen, the phone number of a man I don't know and don't really want to know....the kind gift of a stranger at Logan:  You traveling alone with those kids? To Costa Rica?  I'm going to work for a powerful man there.  He's very important.  Here's his number.  You never know what you might need, you know.  I'm Lalo.  Yes, he'll know me. Good luck to you....

As I sit and keep watch.

Day 6

Today was animal chore day.  We met the resident worker and thoroughly cleaned out the sheep, goat and rabbit and chicken enclosures.  All the animals were gentle and tolerant of our intrusions.  I wonder if they understand English, since they are usually cared for by Ticos.  I'm conscious of that when I speak to local dogs.  I have even spoken to them in Spanish.  I can't tell if they understand that better- maybe it's my accent.

After 2 sweaty smelly hours, we returned to our home for breakfast and relaxation.  The kids are officially addicted to Bloody UNO.  They have all developed a higher emotional tolerance to being abused by each other, and are all developing cruel talents of their own.  Another form of entertainment they have adopted is silly story telling.  One person tells a never ending rambling story loosely based on a real event they've recently experienced, while another person echoes their words with a light high pitched voice and elaborate hand motions similar to Eurythmy.  I've never seen them do it before but they seem to derive some sort of cultural appreciation for each other's avante-garde story telling skills.

I ran today.  We're at about 2000 feet elevation here which really seems to have had an effect on our breathing....but maybe it's the heavy humidity.  Either way, I was gratified to see that the steep path was within my capabilities.   I returned to find  the kids cutting open coconuts with a machete for tonight's dinner.  They cooked me a beautiful three course meal - rice, bean and cheese baked casserole, sliced star fruit, and coconut-water, lime, banana smoothie.  It was elegant and well presented.  I did the dishes.  They gratefully accepted that gesture of thanks from me.

Today I performed aggressive acts of laundry.  I was perfectly in tune with every sunny moment, and cloudy moment, and visited the laundry shed many times, moving things off the line, onto sunny ledges to ensure the quickest drying time possible.  Some of the clothes have been hanging there for 3 days.  All the humidity and rain makes line drying a slow if not impossible process.  There was joy in Finca Ipe today as many pair of socks and underwear were removed from the line and returned to their rightful owners.

Bats, beetles, geckoes and tree frogs come out in the evenings, adorning our walls and ceilings. Lizards, some 8 inches long, some 1 inch, lie as still as stone along railings and bamboo blinds.  Moths of every shape color and size crowd the few lamps we light to help us find our way in the dim.  Tonight there was a momentary power failure.  It was stunningly dark.  For that moment we were acutely aware of how we are really outside and in the jungle.  The sense of relief was palpable when the lights returned.  Not even a candle and matches in case of longer power outs do we have.  A head lamp, which we now leave prominently in a specific location lends us a small sense of security.

One moment today reminded us of how small the human community can sometimes seem in the vast and varied world.  While chatting with the Australian resident, I mentioned the name of the only other Ozzy family we know, and wouldn't you know it, they went to the same school together.  I can't even begin to imagine all the events that transpired to make the two of us end up here today to learn that.  It's mind numbing.  Mostly, though, it's somehow reassuring to remember that we are all connected by no more than 6 degrees of separation, so they say.