Two Thumbs to Dominical

Oh me, oh my. The adventures we've had.

First of all, I realize that I keep talking about Semana Santa...and you probably have no idea what the hell Semana Santa is:

Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday (or in the Eastern, Lazarus Saturday) until but not including Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of The Great Fifty Days. It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Well, for those who live in Costa Rica at the beach it's absolute hell. Tico's fill the town with their coolers and tents and food and garbage. They shower in the river...as well as swim in it, shower in it, and god knows what else. It's like the 4th of July in Ocean City...but on crack. JamieD and I decided to escape the chaos and head for Dominical for a few days - a town that is usually busier than Esterillos, but for this Tico holiday it would be less crowded and just full of the normal flow of tourists.

The adventure begins...
We get out of the water with 20minutes to get rinsed off, changed, boards put away and down to the bus stop...which is outside of town. Bah. We are hauling ass down the hot blacktop, sun beating down on us -- I'm carrying a backpack and a bag full of groceries: bottle of red wine, pineapple, 5 mangoes, bag of linguini, pasta sauce, dried bananas and raisins, and tortillas. The essentials. Jamie is making me laugh, so I have to keep stopping to cross my legs so I don't pee my pants...then I need a second to regain composure, catch my breath, and catch up. We get to the bus stop and we wait. And wait. Hundreds of cars pass us, all beeping their horns - which isn't too unusual cause we are two gringas standing on the side of the road. It's actually unusual if they don't honk. Little do we know that they are all beeping and laughing. Why are they laughing, you ask...because it's Good Friday, and there aren't any buses that run on Good Friday. Dumb gringas. We were already completely set on heading to Dominical, so we decide that we are going to have to thumb it there. As soon as the thought popped into our minds a man stopped his car and asked where we were going. A tico, mid-40's, glasses...and sized so that Jamie and I could both kick his ass if he tried any shit. With both of our assessments we glanced at eachother, smiled, and hopped in the car. Martin didn't speak any English, so him and I chatted in Spanish. We all stopped for breakfast, we picked up the tab, and then within an hour we were hopping out of the car in Dominical, waving goodbye and thanks. First stop was Soda Nanyoa, clearly, my favorite place in Dominical and where I eat all of my meals. Gave hugs and kisses to the whole family that owns/operates it and sipped on some of their delicious coffee. After cafe Jam and I strolled into my friend Taylors' bar, Que Nivel. All rooms were rented in town but one of her employees was away on a surf trip so she put us in his room. She assured us that he wouldn't mind, and she apologized profusely for how dirty it was. Boys....ew. Clean your room. Details aside, we were thankful for a {free} place to stay. We cruised around town and reconnected with all of my old but dear friends. It was GREAT to see everyone's familiar faces and we made plans for the next few days. Took a dip in the river with Taylor and Brittany {britt works with Taylor at the bar, and is originally from margate. we've known eachother for several years now...}, played with the dogs, and enjoyed the nice cool water. Because it was Good Friday, no alcohol was to be served until midnight...good thing we brought that bottle of red wine! We made some makeshift Sangria {club soda, Te Frio fruta mixtas, and red wine} and brought it down to the beach for sunset in a water bottle along with plastic cups. Had some dinner at Que Nivel, hung out with friends, and then celebrated the stroke of midnight like it was New Years Eve...which a shot of tequila! Went out to a local disco later for some dancing and then to bed.

Next morning. Saturday. Day before Easter. Buses are now running, alcohol is being served, and Jam and I are a bit hungover. We have some coffee, laugh, and then go for a refreshing swim. We swim and swim and swim and smile. The simple things. So wonderful. Head back to Nanyoa for cup of coffee #2 along with Gallo Pinto and some fried plantains. Yum. My friend Mike owns the dive shop in town, Costa Rica Dive and Surf. He took a half day from work and so did Taylor, so we all headed up to Gil's house. Gil is from North Carolina, a dive instructor working for Mikey. He has one day off, and we totally invaded his peaceful home atop one of the highest mountains around Dominical. In our truck was Mike, his girlfriend Alicia, Taylor, Brittany, Me and 3 dogs: Mickey a huge rottweiler, Lulu another big rotty, and then little miniature Mowgli. Unexpected visitors, The Goodmans, showed up too. The parents, their 3 insane boys until 12 years old, and one of the boys friends. The pool was mayhem and the dogs were running around like lunatics - so Taylor and I took refuge in the kitchen and started cooking. After the Goodman army rolled out everyone relaxed and enjoyed the silence. We all vowed not to have children for a long, long time. We ate and chatted and laughed, a lot. Headed back down the mountain and into town and got ready for ROCA VERDE!!! The Saturday night disco...my favorite. It would be especially fun tonight because everyone was at the beach for Semana Santa. Well, when we got back to the bar there was a guy who approached Taylor with a confused and somewhat frustrated look on her face. It was Frederico, her employee that had been away on a surf trip. He came home a few days early....and his room was filled with bathingsuits, towels and backpacks. Ha. We all laughed off the situation and moved our stuff up into Taylors room - even though he insisted we stay in his bed. Ha. Right... We pregamed at Taylors, Que Nivel, with shots of tequila. It went like this: glass of water, shot of tequila alongside a shot of orange juice. This process happened about 5 times and then we were out the door, into a cab, and on our way for the DISCO. Everyone posted up at the bar but Jamie and I beelined for the dance floor. We didn't leave the floor for 3 hours, except for the occasional bathroom break. At 3am when we hopped a cab home we both looked like we had just gotten out of a swimming pool. Completely saturated with sweat. Shit eating grins from ear to ear. We instantly went to sleep, and we slept hard. Woke up the next morning: coffee @ Nanyoas, long swim in the ocean, back to Nanyoas for food. Taylor had business to take care of at the bar, but Jamie and I decided to spend easter with Mike and his girlfriend, so we hitchhiked up to their great cabina in the hills headed to San Isidro. We were tired and hungover, but Mikey mentioned WATERFALL and we both perked up. A decent, somewhat scary adventure and then we arrived. The most beautiful views I've ever seen in Costa Rica, and I forgot my g'damn camera! shit shit shit! Well, we were at the TOP of the Nauyaca waterfall...a waterfall I have frequented several times on horse tours, but we came in from the opposite side - and from a few hundred feet above. We trekked down the side of the mountain to the base of the smaller waterfall and swam in the refreshing, cold water. Left the waterfall and had some dinner at a great Mirador further up the mountain. I was so cold that I was craving a sweater. What a good day. What good people. I love Costa Rica.

Spent the night @ Que Nivel and hopped the 5:45am bus back to Oeste this morning. Hung around the house, napped, putzed and cleaned. Only a few days left in paradise, so I'm soaking it all up. Pura Vida.

Mama Lee's

Jamie and I were sweating to death here at the beach and looking for a little adventure, so I said "HEY - Let's visit Mama Lee in Atenas". Lee is my good friend Ozzie's mother. I met Ozzie here in Oeste last year, and now he is living in Australia finishing up his degree and working, working, working. Last April, as a going away party, Oz had us all up to his Mom's house for some beautiful views, cool breeze and good food {Lee is an entrepenour...she owns a hotel + restaurant, restaurant/night club and several properties}. I had a night to remember, and hoped that Jam and I could recreate that goodness. I called Lee and asked about coming up and she replied "OH OF COURSE!!!". Side note: Lee is a short, round, beautiful Colombian woman...FULL of life. She is crazy and passionate and clever and sharp and sassy. We took the bus up and arrived at the Mirador a little after 10. Lee was sitting at a table, sipping coffee, in a beautiful dress she dubbed her "oh, just pajamas!". The conversation started flowing instantly. You know, there are some people who talk alot, and then there are some people who have something to say. Lee has something to say...you want to hear every word that comes out of her mouth. She is so passionate about life it's contagious. Jam and I were floating high on the views and the delightful breeze, cuddling with the dogs and basking in the sunlight. Our next adventure was heading to the hotel so Lee could take care of business and so we could see what its all about. Well...it's beautiful!! A perfect getaway in Atenas, which was voted as having "the best climate in the world" {this is true...look it up!}. We looked at photos from years ago when Lee first purchased it, and holy shit - night and day. She has created something from nothing....a truly gifted woman. Anyways, we had lunch at the hotel...homemade chicken soup sided with bananas {Lee says this is the Colombian way to eat soup}.



Afterwards we packed up and headed back to the house. We all napped, enjoying the cool breeze, and then we woke up and I cut up some fresh fruit and made some coffee. We posted up outside and chatted away. Well, what is better than a glass of red wine after some coffee and fruit, while gazing out over the mountains!? NOTHING, I tell you! So we popped open some wine and the conversations continued. Dinner arrived from the restaurant, Mirador, and then we switched to a delightfully dry Sparkling Rose. Mmmmm, good.



Finished the night with a movie and then off to bed. Woke up at 5 the next morning and made some coffee before Lee took us to her yoga class up in the mountains. It was at someones home, one of the most spectacular homes I've ever seen. About ten of us did Yoga and then in typical Lee fashion, we were dashing to our next destination. Lee had a massage, something that she does weekly, so while she was having her 2 hours in heaven we were off for some breakfast. The masseuse had an opening after Lee so I took full advantage and threw myself up on the heated massage table for a TWO HOUR MASSAGE. How much? you ask....15mil, which works out to be about $29!!!!!!!!!! And mind you, I was in there for 2.5hours! GLORIOUS. Jam and Lee went back to the hotel to swim while I was being treated, and then we cruised back up to Lee's other business, the Mirador...for some mountain views and chicken salad. Jamie and I were bumming to leave, but also stressed about the bus schedule {everything is running differently because of the Semana Santa holiday}. Lee responded "DON'T BE CRAZY" in her cute Colombian accent "I DRIVE YOU!!". So, adventure #327 of the trip began! We packed up the car: Jamie, Me, Tatiana {Lee's 17 year old daughter, who is gorgeous and can dance like you wouldn't believe!}, Lee and Oscarina {the smallest of the 3 dogs} and headed to OESTE. We arrived at my house, I whipped up some dinner, and then lucky us - the rodeo was going on just down the street from my house. We went out, we laughed, we cheered on the bulls and we yelled "BE CAREFUL" to Jamie, who of course was in the ring. Jam and I retired early, but the lovely ladies went out dancing. Next morning we wake up - I make coffee, we lounge and then I hold yoga classes at my house. We checked out Vago's, but at 9am it was packed with about 100 drunk, dirty ticos and decided that the tranquility of my house was much better. After a LOVELY yoga class I invited everyone to stay for lunch: sopa negra con huevos y ensalada. We swam in the pool, ate, laughed and relaxed. Lee and Tati left after sunset, and we were sad to see them go. But not to worry - Lee offered to pick us up on the 8th and have us stay at her house the night before our Mexico flight. She will arrange a taxi for us - which is perfect, because Atenas is only about 30minutes away from San Jose! Good things DO happen to good people. PURA VIDA.


Right now it's 5:30am, I am half way through my morning coffee and already I'm packed and ready to go for our next adventure. We are catching an 8:30am bus to Dominical and will spend a few nights in town visiting some of my old friends. Hopefully we can take some refuge up at Billy's house...escaping the insanity of Semana Santa. Wish us luck.

Bee Pollen

So when I was at Mama Lee's I saw a little glass car that said POLEN DE ABEJA. Bee Pollen? Well, what the hell do you do with that?? I put some in my mouth and was surprised by it's earthy taste, and the texture that it was in the jar. Lee said that it was great for the body and for your energy, and she handed me the bottle as a gift! Just got home and did some research and am now adding Bee Pollen to my agua de pipa and vitamin regime. Pura Vida.


I did some research and this is what I found:

Bee pollen consists of blended pollen grains that are collected by honeybees, from a wide variety of plants. It contains EVERY vitamin known, as well as all 22 elements needed by our bodies. Bee pollen contains ALL the amino acids which are indispensable for our diet, and which our bodies cannot make or synthesize.

Bee pollen is 30 to 40 percent protein. one-half of its protein is in the form of those amino acids I just mentioned, so your body can use them immediately. Bee pollen contains 25 trace elements, and many active enzymes and co-enzymes. Nearly 10 percent of bee pollen consists of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids -- a perfect blend of these much-needed fatty acids. Bee pollen contains more protein than beef, eggs, or cheese.

The Greeks and Romans called bee pollen the"life giving dust," and the secret "ambrosia." There are some people who think you could live on bee pollen alone.

I began eating bee pollen about 10 years ago. I'd read good things about it, and decided to add a teaspoonful to my mid-day yogurt. A few years later, when I began grinding my own golden flaxseed, I added the daily spoonful of bee pollen to the flaxseed, and ground them up together. I still do that today. Grinding the bee pollen makes sure that all its many nutrients are easily assimilated by my body. Turns out I made a very wise decision in adding bee pollen to my eating regimen. It's only recently I've learned what a truly superb food it is. I'd like to share some of that information with you today. Much of it comes from Dr. Felix Murat's little book. Bee Pollen: Miracle Food, and Paul Pitchford's book, Healing With Whole Foods. I also did some reseach on the net. What is it? Bee pollen consists of blended pollen grains that are collected by honeybees, from a wide variety of plants. It contains EVERY vitamin known, as well as all 22 elements needed by our bodies. Bee pollen contains ALL the amino acids which are indispensable for our diet, and which our bodies cannot make or synthesize. Bee pollen is 30 to 40 percent protein. one-half of its protein is in the form of those amino acids I just mentioned, so your body can use them immediately. Bee pollen contains 25 trace elements, and many active enzymes and co-enzymes. Nearly 10 percent of bee pollen consists of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids -- a perfect blend of these much-needed fatty acids. Bee pollen contains more protein than beef, eggs, or cheese. The Greeks and Romans called bee pollen the"life giving dust," and the secret "ambrosia." There are some people who think you could live on bee pollen alone. One of these days, I may try it. The United States Dept of Agriculture had this to say about bee pollen (back in the 1960s, before big industry took over so many government agencies). "Bee pollen is the most nutritious food you can eat. It contains every nutrient required to sustain and support life in a pure, raw, unadulterated form." In French labs, mice have been kept alive for 6 months, perfectly healthy, with no other food except bee pollen. In addition to being perhaps the perfect nutritional food, bee pollen has a proven reputation as a healing food. Here are some of the illnesses and degenerative conditions that bee pollen has been known to heal. 1) Bee pollen destroys harmful bacteria in the intestines. It contains a natural antibiotic which destroys salmonella and other harmful bacteria. 2) Bee pollen has an astounding record at reversing prostate cancer and prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate). Many men who were scheduled for prostate surgery, were able to cancel the operations after eating bee pollen daily for several months. I will list a website at the end of this message, where you can read some compelling testimonials to bee pollen's healing power. If you're a man in your 30s or 40s, and you want to eliminate all worries about prostate cancer, begin eating a spoonful of bee pollen every day. 3) Bee pollen is wonderful for eliminating allergies like Hay Fever. You should begin eating it 6 weeks before allergy season. The bee pollen (not to be confused with flower pollen) immunizes your immune system. 4) Bee pollen reduces the craving for alcohol and street drugs and other addictions. 5) It's great for chronic constipation or diarrhea, as well as other intestinal problems. 6) Bee pollen helps to overcome retardation and other developmental problems in children. Mentally retarded children often respond to doses of bee pollen and glutamic acid. 7) Bee pollen helps chelate (flush out) poisons and toxins from the human body. 8) It helps overcome infertility in women, and makes men more sexually potent. 9) Bee pollen is useful during pregnancy and lactation. It helps a woman to build energy. 10) It helps relieve diabetic symptoms. 11) Bee pollen helps prevent communicable diseases, like colds and flu. 12) Bee pollen provides the nutrients that our immune systems need to remain at peak efficiency. 13) It helps lessen depression, and is believed to slow down the aging process. 14) Bee pollen can help children with ADD, or those who suffer from aenemia. 15) It is thought to protect against radiation. and to have anti-cancer qualities. 16) And last but hardly least, bee pollen will help lower blood pressure. Most of you know that more people die from heart attacks caused by high blood pressure, than any other single illness. Here's how it works.

Simple and Perfect and Good

Sometimes everything is just perfect.

Laying in bed right now with JamieD, who has been a confidant, a comedian and a wonderful partner in crime - I've cried on her shoulder, laughed with her until I could no longer breath, and run around with bulls with her at my side. We are sipping the BEST cup of coffee that I've made yet {purchased some grounds at Milagro, a roaster based out of Quepos} and we are watching the sun rise through the trees, listening to the ocean pounding the shore. Sometimes you are so content that you get a pain in your chest and throat, the kind you get right before a good cry or while you're reaching the peak of a great novel. I just feel so blessed for this perfect morning. So cheers to the simple things like a good friend, delicious coffee, and a sunrise....at the end of the day, this is what matters most.

"The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity."
-- Ludwig Wittgenstein

Barrachas and Bulls.

Saturday night Jules and I played music @ El Vago, and ran it kind of like an open mic. It was super fun, everyone came out and I ate dinner for free! Hooray! Everyone was pregaming because there was a Rodeo here in town...and not just here, but a 30second walk from my front door! Up on Canada Hill there is a corral and I always wondered what it was for! Well, Saturday night all of Oeste headed up the hill to run around with the bulls. JamD and I were a little tweaked...a few beers and a few swigs of really amazing tequila that Shawn had brought me back from Mex. Jamie swore that she wasn't getting in the ring but after a few more beers sure enough she was in the ring. She slapped the bull on the ass, again. And then, I decided to join everybody in the ring. I sure as hell didn't slap the bull, I barely left the safety of the fence, but I still had some adrenaline pumping. After the rodeo the whole crew trekked down the hill and to Barrillito's. Bah. Dancing, dancing, laughing, and a bunch of barrachas! Made it home around 1:30am and cooked JamieD and I some breakfast burritos: bean tortillas, scrambled eggs, sliced cabbage with lime and cilantro, natilla, tomato, onion and garlic. Boom. JamieD was eating it and said "Mmm, this fish is really good. "Where did we get fish?". "Nice fish". I said "Jam, it's egg" about 5 times, and around the 6th time she goes "OOOOOh, EGG!". Decided to go without the alarm the next morning - a 5am wake up wouldn't be good for anyone. We slept til around 8am, laughed in bed as we recapped the previous evening, and then came downstairs - for round 2 of breakfast burritos!! Waves were crappy, wind was crappy, tide was crappy - so we decided to spend the WHOLE day up on the hill, just relaxing, swimming...and eating our faces off. Around lunchtime Pat came over, complaining of a hangover, so I whipped us up some rice and an asian vegetable stir-fry. Lunch was followed by a bag of Lays Sour Cream & Onion chips as well as an array of beverages: pipas, iced tea, pineapple juice, water and iced coffee. JamD and I napped for about 3 hours and then I made us cheeseburgers for dinner. I forgot that we had a TV in the house, so Jam and I put it to use last night, watching TV for several hours. We watched "Iron Man", a few episodes of "Rescue Me", and a slew of other odds and ends. Retired to bed and up this morning at 5:30, almost back on schedule, for some delicious french press coffee. Forgot to buy the dogs food again, so I cooked them scrambled eggs and rice. I teach yoga at 10am today, and until then we are just chillax'n by the pool. Pura Vida.

Mexico? Yes please.

Fire in the hole. JamieD and I just bought one way tickets to Ixtapa, Mexico. We arrive on Friday April 9th. Boom. The plan: Jamie will stay until the end of April. I will stay until the beginning of May and then hop in the truck/camper with Bill of BillsBoards {check out his blog: http://billboardssurfboards.blogspot.com/ } and drive from Mexico back to North Carolina and then fly home. "WHY?" you ask....Why NOT?!

Road Trippin'

Well, the swell has been here for the past few days and its been BIG. I feel bad for Karen and Bill, it's definitely not the best sized swell for beginner surfers looking to improve their skills. Oh well, you can't control Mother Nature. We've been having a bunch of fun cooking, eating, laughing, listening to music, playing music, doing yoga and surfing when possible. Yesterday they opted for massages, and JamD & I hopped a ride to LA ISLA for a surf excursion. La Isla is off the coast of Herradura, so it's a 35minute car ride and then a 3 minute boat ride to this left point break. We went with locals David, Andreas, Danny and Jonah. The boat dropped us off for 3 hours at a break which at first glance seemed to only be about head high and pretty mellow. There was 16 of us total in the water...and then the cleanup set came. Holy shit. JamD and me, scratchin for the horizon and got drilled by all 12 waves in the set. Humbling and got the heart-pumping! Three hours of adrenaline and intense sun and then we were back on the boat and headed home. David owns the restaurant AZUL in town, so we all went there for lunch and he made us a big batch of arroz con camarones, pollo y chuleta! Que Rico! This morning we woke up at 4am, had coffee and then trekked down the hill to load up Bretts car for our adventure. Karen, Bill, JamD and I paddled out at the point break in Quepos around 6am and for a few hours surfed some knee high to head high perfect left peelers. I was so glad that Karen and Bill finally got in a good, tranquilo surf session. Surf was followed by an outstanding breakfast and the best cup of coffee @ Milago in Quepos. Back at the house now and completely, utterly exhausted. Looking forward to some quiet time. Pura Vida.

Mi Casa

This is the house we've been living in for the past month. Only have a week and a half left, so enjoying every moment.

music in the kitchen.

jam and i drinkin pipas from our pipa tree!

kitchen table.

our pool.

upstairs living room.

5am sunrise...view from our bedroom.

6am sunrise from our bedroom.

Pura Fucking Vida.

Bah. So much so much so much. Karen and Bill Barlow arrived Saturday night just in time for fish tacos and then an early-to-bed night. Woke up at 5am, coffee club and then took Bill and Karen for a surf. They both know HOW to surf and Bill's pretty good, but they want to get better and become more comfortable in the water. Well, of course the waves have been small for a month and the week that they come in its supposed to be huge. Swell is filling in, and it looks like we are going ot have to find other activities to keep us busy. Anyways, successful surf session in the am and then Shawn left that afternoon. JamD and I hopped a surf session and then I was approached by the oh-so-talented Jules about playing music. Jules is from Canada and has been 'passing through' for some time now. In the past months he's been traveling around Asia and he's just a pretty cool dude that plays a meeeeeaaan guitar. Holy christ. Amazing. Anyways - we set up and played at Vago's for a wonderful audience, and we got paid in pizza and booze! PERFECT. Vago was pushing tequila shots at me all night, and silly me - I actually drank them!

Shit, I hate tequila.

But for some reason, I drank it anyways.

It was Karen and Bill's second night in town and I think that we all had a bit too much fun...godbless Brett aka Lagarto for driving us up the hill. I don't think I coulda done it. Wake up at 5am, waves are huge - Bill attempts to ride the bombs and Karen opts out. She made the right decision for sure. We had a delightful breakfast at Margarita's and then headed back to the house. Surfed again in the afternoon, some sloppy lowtide mush but atleast Karen was able to get in the water. JamD and I surfed the sunset session....bombing sunset session. I almost drowned twice because JamD is sooo goddamn funny. We are getting completely WRECKED by huge overhead sets and she has me laughing so hard I'm literally swallowing gallons of water everytime I'm getting worked because I cant control my laughter. Rushed back to the house because Jules was heading over to play some music and Karen was making dinner.


We had rice and roasted veggies with an outstanding peanut sauce, topped with some shredded coconut {thanks ma!} and then we had an amazing jam session. Bill plays guitar and sings and Karen plays the FLUTE. No bullshit. And absolutely outrageously talented. Wonderful dinner, Wonderful Jam, what next? CARNIVAL for the BULLS! Brett pulled up and in the car was me, JamD, Scottie and Tigre en route for the final day of the fiesta. Well surprise surprise, after a few beers Jamie is in the ring with the bulls {along with a handful of crazy drunk Ticos}. She never turns down a dare, so all it took was Brett saying “Go slap the bull in the ass” and she was off. From the stands I see this cute curly haired chica charging the bull, which is completely across the ring, and then slap the shit outta its ass! The crowd went WILD….she ran a lap around the ring and then charged the angry bull AGAIN and slapped it for the second time.

I was under the bleachers...close enough for some adrenaline, but safe behind the fence. JamD jumping on the fence, climbing for safety.

BAH. After that we hung outside of the ring and chowed down on some meat-on-a-stick. Drank some more beers then headed home.

We love meat on a stick!

Why are we drinking Pilsen? BAH : the devil.

Life is good when you eat meat on a stick.

Woke up 4 hours later, had some coffee and then headed down the hill for some surf. Well, waves were huge and all over the place so we walked back UP the hill for some more coffee and some pool/puppy time. Tonight is Mojitos @ LowTide and then bowling. As David would say…PURA-FUCKING-VIDA!

Hasta Luego Shawnie.

Shawn and me picking blueberries, 2008.

Shawnie is leaving today. First he's headed to California, going to stay with his friend Kevin and his wife Sue for a bit before leaving for Australia. It's a tough goodbye to swallow but I think we have the power to maintain the friendship we have and cherish. Safe travels Shawnie.

Piscina y Pilsens

The waves have been PHENOMENAL the past two days. I've been having a freaking blast!! Said goodbye to my cousin Jenny after yesterdays session, and unfortunately JamieD has been out of commission with food poisoning {thanks Nicaragua!}. Had another epic surf sess out front this AM, and after 3 hours of surfing Jeff Pace and I decided that our late breakfast should consist of cheeseburgers and beers up at my pool. Well I left the gate open and people kept flooding in. Shawnie, Jeff and Sharon, Scott and Pat joined JamieD, the puppies and I at the house for some R&R by the pool and some bomb burgers. Hopefully the wind will die down and we'll be able to get in a sunset surf session, but if not I won't be tragically depressed....my body could use a break. Tomorrow night Bill and Karen Barlow arrive for their "Cailin Callahan B&B" experience. Surfing every day for a week, eating delicious breakfasts every morning, drinking good coffee and doing yoga! Pura Vida.

Feelin' Fine @ 5am

Photos from last weeks coffee club.

It's 5am.

Last night caught a few waves before the sun set and then went to LowTide cause Roni was working and making her famous MOJITOS!! Had a few before heading back up to the house and making Jeni {my friend/neighbor}, Jenny {my cousin}, Shawnie, JamieD and me some killer BREAKFAST BURRITOS with fried plantains, rice and bacon on the side for dinner! Early to bed because...

...Alarm went off at 4:55am. I went down stairs and started up the coffee machine. Yes, coffee machine. Adam has my bialetti and Shawn left with the french press so I've been forced to use an automatic drip...it's tragic. Oh well. Anyways, came down the stairs - was greeted by the butt-wiggling puppy parade (+1, Mikey, a little dog that refuses to leave), started the coffee maker and then fed the dogs. Heated up some milk, made up 3 coffees and delivered them to the sleeping beauties. Coffee Club is in full swing, sitting in bed - shooting the shit, taking breaks to take our morning shit - and then back to gabbin'. Surf is gonna be early this morning, and I'm pretty sure that it's gonna be goooood. Pura Vida.

Just Another Day

Last night I had about 20 people over my house for music, pool, food and fun. I cooked up a big batch of chili, made hard boiled eggs, a pesto-tomato pasta salad and a curry chickpea pasta salad along with some freshly sliced fruit. Karen {of the wonderful restaurant in town, Aleamendro's} made an outstanding chickpea,cauliflower curry dish. Noah made some rockin mac & cheese, and Jeff and Sharon hooked it up with some freshly made salsa. We ate and laughed and hung out, and then got down to business. Mikey was on harmonica, Gary was playing guitar and singing, I was playing guitar and singing as well - and the highlight of the night was a newbie in town, Jules. Amazing. Amazing. Let me just emphasize this one more time...amazing. Tearing it apart on the guitar, singing his heart out - and playing some of the best accompaniment of all time. I played some originals that I haven't played in months, and they sounded the best they've ever been. Wow. It was a pretty early evening - everyone went to bed a little after 10pm. Gary was up at the crack of dawn, bags packed and I saw him off as he hopped in with Coki for the airport. Jamie and I had coffee club in bed, chatted a bit - then woke up Jenny for a surf. (Did I mention that my cousin Jenny is in town for a few days?). Tranquilo surf sess was followed by a trip into Parrita. Brett and Adam gave us a ride and we went to Ropa Americana {thrift store} for some cool goods and then lucked out with some badass earrings at a cheap little shop in town. Because we were with Adam and Brett we of course had to stop for beers...several beers. Got home, tuckered out - passed out for a half hour and now getting ready for an evening surf. If the waves aren't good - no worries...Roni's bartending tonight at LowTide and shes making her FAMOUS MOJITOS. It's my most favorite day of the week. Going to do some bowling across the street at Vago's but then rest up because tomorrow is a big day....SAINT PATRICK'S DAY! VaVaVOOOOM Pura Vida.

JamTime

Having a rough few days, so I've just been hanging at the house with the puppies. Visited Lee for a bit because he's house/dog-sitting next door. Went to the Rodeo for the 3rd time last night and enjoyed some more mayhem in the ring. I actually got into the ring last night, but took up safe haven under the bleachers. When I got back to the house JamieD had arrived back from Nicaragua. She had an amazing trip and it was great to hear her stories. Having Mike {harmonica}, Jules {guitar}, Gary {guitar} and me over for a jam session tonight, going to make a big batch of chili and two big pasta salads. Spectators are coming as well - bringing along some food to contribute as well. Should be a good time, especially because the pool is finally fixed and swimable. Hoooray.

Fugata.

This is my grande fugata {bonfire} that the boys built for my birthday. It was mostly Flacko {in photo} with a little help from locals Tigre + Carlos. Sorry it took me awhile to upload these!