Joe and Helena in Costa Rica

Happy New Year- 2012

2012-01-13T09:52:00.001-06:00

Hello--Hello:

There is now a Black Sheep Pub website with pics. www.blacksheeppubeuropea.blogspot.com I will add pics as I get them. Check out the next post for our latest clip in Voice of Nosara which is also on the website

We had our 5th NY eve party. Our band ‘Mumbleriot’ from San Jose played original rock and roll—one of our neighbors called them the next Nirvana. We had four beers on tap, barbeque food by Fritz and about 200 people who appreciated the pub. This year, for the first time, we had a midnight countdown and sang “Auld Lang Syne.” (The band backed us up!!). And there were fireworks organized by our friend and lawyer, Andres. There were several other NY eve parties and we got the right people for us. This time I knew a lot of the people!

Earlier in December, Eric and Lenore had a Holiday Neighborhood Cheer gathering of Dona Cielo residents. We are now ten families. John has reached his goal of establishing a gated community. The overall management of the place is slowly being turned over to his daughter, Angelina, who grew up in England and runs Laluna, a trendy restaurant on the beach. As you come up our hill, the first house which was built by Angelina’s husband, Marion, belongs to Peter and Emily. They are friends of Johns for years and they have five dogs. Peter works for a surfing company and Emily bakes for LaLuna. Then next to them and diagonally across from us are Martin and Susan, from Czechoslovakia. They are doing their own finish work on their dome shaped house. Further up from us is the Olympic House: Tim and Wella and their son, Olympic swimmer, Aaron. Up near them is Elke, her husband and her son. Elke has an organic farm in Canada, her husband is a physician. Their house looks like a stone fortress from the middle ages. Also up their way are Phil and Chantel from Manhatttan, who have have a large impressive house. The most striking house in the community is probably Mike and Lena’s. The house is round, on another hill, with three floors and 180 degree views. And at the current end of the line are Eric and Lenore who were with us from the beginning. Angelina and Marion are rumored to be moving up here with their two small children. There is also a new family coming from Florida who were talking about doing horse vacations. The community functions, pays water bills, and makes decisions.

We look forward to our upcoming visitors. Mark and Cheryl from New Orleans. This is the third time they are visiting us; Mark is bringing his trombone and will likely play for our 6th Black Sheep anniversary party. Joe’s nephew Chris will be here in March with some work buddies. The weather is fab—sunny with blue skies and warm breezes.

I start my job search soon. Have an interview next week. More about that later. Pura vida. Love Joe and Helena

Bars to find good beer in your area- from Voice of Nosara Dec 2011

2012-01-13T09:45:00.000-06:00

NOSARA—The Black Sheep has been a local favorite for years now and Joe the owner has created a pub that puts you in the city of London. Call The Black Sheep first before you stop by is a must so you have someone to attend to your group and make sure the beer is flowing. One of the very few places in our area that serve beer from the tap, the Black Sheep is a very memorable experience if you can find it! 89285752 87188568 HGreaney@gmail.com

2011-12-05T13:49:00.000-06:00

Dec 2011
I have been back in paradise one month and I finally feel adjusted to the different rhythms. My contract in MA was cancelled suddenly because they hired a permanent person. Disrupted our income a bit but it is glorious to be here.

Joe had the roof of the terrace extended so instead of a half roof, we have a full roof. Half of it is opaque allowing light to come through. The best part of having a full roof is that we can sit on the terrace and watch the rain without getting wet. We have had some torrential rain but mostly it is dry; we had a couple of days of dry winds which usually don’t come along till January. The landscape is still lush with its shades of green, the skies are blue and the air is super clean. The gentle breezes waft up from the ocean. I have resumed swimming every day—outside.

Before I left MA, I applied for advanced practice nursing licenses in CT and OR, so I have wider options . I am aiming to be back in the US the end of March. My first choice is to work in Oregon—fingers crossed that they accept my credentials.

We had a pleasant low key Thanksgiving. Joe cooked a turkey. Tim and Wella, our swimmer neighbors were here. Also Steve and Sue from the fab four, our friends from LA who now live in Playa Pelada. And Gunter and a Tica lady-friend. This was the first time Joe and I were together for Thanksgiving in six years. There is a natural tendency for the expatriates to come together in Costa Rica. It makes for interesting gatherings since the expatriates are from all kinds of backgrounds.

We are busy preparing for our New Years Eve party. Mumble-riot, the surfer rock group from San Jose will play. Adriano will cook and we will have our assortment of craft beer and fine liquors. The Black Sheep Pub is open in our low key way—people call when they want to come up. We may have regular hours in the high season.

I enjoy riding my ATV to the beach to watch the waves crash on the shore. I work on my memoir currently taking an online class with Gotham writers. I may concentrate on the first couple of years of our move since that is when most of the action takes place. Now we live here and there is less to write about since it has become familiar though we still call it paradise.

We are down to three animals. Unfortunately, Guiness, the cat Joe retrieved from the jungle became very sick with feline leukemia. The vet came to our house and when she was trying to insert an IV, Guiness put up a big struggle and died of a heart attack. Now we have Ainsley the cat from Boston and the two dogs who are half Jack Russell and half local, Freida and Nina. Three pets is plenty.

Gunter is leaving. He has a new job in Playa Pelada which comes with an apartment. So soon all our guest houses will be free. Come and visit—it is the high season and we have plenty of space.
Love, Joe and Helena

August 2011

2011-08-28T13:54:00.000-06:00

August 2011
I return to Nosara next week. My contract is renewed--I will be living in western MA from Sept 26th till Dec 16th. I would like to work at this job regularly-- 2 three month contracts per year but I will only know one contract at a time. I work outpatient, prescribing, all ages, 30 hours/week. And I started back with my old employer, New England Geriatrics to pick up some extra hours in a nursing home in Greenfield.

Living in Holyoke the past three months, I have adapted to driving in traffic and living in a hotel. I miss the plethora of culture at my fingertips like I had in New York but this is a better job and I have a car. I am in touch with family and friends and I am getting to know this lovely area called Pioneer Valley. Especially Northampton and Amherst.

My Australian friend Mary came up from New York for the fourth of July weekend. We stayed at Allen House, a Victorian B&B in Amherst, across from Emily Dickenson’s house. I learned later that because it was summer, all the UMass students were away and this made the town pleasantly deserted. My friend Tedi visited from Boston last week—we spent the day shopping in Northampton. Now I know where the boutique clothing stores and the good deals are—I bought some green sandals for $20 and I wear them all the time.

My family have visited. Michael came up to help me get used to the car, John, Yola and James were here, and Mary came with Jeremiah. The kids like the pool in the hotel (and so do I). Joe’s nephew, Chris also come by when his job brought him up this way.

I miss Joe. I talk to him twice/day. I miss the dogs. I miss the clean water, the clean air , and our pristine natural habitat though Joe tells me it has been raining a lot which can feel oppressive. But is always beautiful

I now have a Kindle and I bought one for Joe and I have been loading up free classics and free history books for him . I will be taking home odds and ends, i.e. a deep fryer which I bought at the gigantic mall up the road from the hotel. We can get most things in Costa Rica now but it does take planning and things in stores run out quickly—and, between the power surges, moisture, rust, fungus, bugs, and animals, things don’t seem to last that long. You have to get used to having less stuff. And it makes a lot of things seem overdone in the US.

Joe is keeping the pub active. A trickle of people but keeping the pub tradition alive. We go to a lot of trouble to have draft beer and we love seeing everybody.
Hopefully we will have a gathering at the Black Sheep in September so I get to see everyone.

Next post is from Nosara….Love Helena and Joe

Countdown to Springfield MA

2011-05-09T11:09:00.000-06:00

I start my new job May 30th. I will be working in Springfield MA with children and adolescents using my clinical nurse specialist qualifications. It is likely that I will be living Enfield CT—the agency provides the lodging, the car and they will arrange my travel from Costa Rica. In my visits to NY I had to do everything myself so this seems so easy. But the job will be more challenging; there are at least 3 work sites and 1099 rather than a W2 for taxes.

Our car just got out of the shop. I cannot figure out how the car can be driving fine and then suddenly there is a problem. The dirt roads are uneven and filled with potholes but the cars look strong enough—we have a Pathfinder. This time Joe and Gunter were driving the car and suddenly there was a loud grating sound coming from the right front axle and smoke was coming out. The brakes look like hamburger meat, Gunter said. We have a new mechanic. We seem to get a new mechanic every couple of years. We liked our last mechanic but we had to stop using him because he replaced a part in Gunter’s car with a used part and charged him for a new one. We never check these things. We know we should… I am still mad that somehow we lost a front tire from the Pathfinder. A new tire was replaced with an old tire. We don’t know how it happened or who did it. Was it done by accident or on purpose?? We don’t know…

And we have a new gardener. Diego suddenly got a new job in Honduras. The day he told us, he recommended his replacement. Lester is 18, thin, medium height, curly hair and speaks rapidly. He wears Diego’s Obama shirt which Joe had given him. So far he is very diligent as are most of our workers in the beginning…and then it is variable. His sister is doing our housekeeping once/week and she is hard working with a vibrant personality. She is 16—she attends high school but she told me school is closed because the teachers are not getting paid.

We are temporarily taking our house off the market. The realtors are not bringing us people and we give business cards for the property to people who come to the pub. We are still selling but we will be lower key about it which seems to be the way here. We are gearing up for our last party before I leave. Joe’s “65 and still alive” birthday party and my “Farewell for three months” party. Adriano, the Italian is eager to do the food and we may or may not have live music. Our neighbor Tim will bar-tend so we just have to organize a few things and hope people will come. We continue to be amazed with the diversity of people here in Nosara and so far they love to come to our parties. One of our patrons called our New Years party “the social experiment” because she said she had never seen such a mix of people in one space.

And Joe has put in yet another garden—in the back of the house. He had the area cleared a bit so it looks like a park. And what a view. It is gorgeous here…
So my next post will be from CT. I will be back in Sept for 3-4 weeks and then back again to Springfield if my contract is renewed…Money, money….Love Helena and Joe

April 1, 2011

2011-04-01T20:44:00.000-06:00

March 2011
Joe is in the states for the fifteenth anniversary of NERAX . He was given the opportunity to go as an alumni with the flight paid. Unfortunately he lost his wallet on the way to San Jose. Thefts and losses are common here. And people help out. The hotel lent him $100 cash for spending money. Our cab driver lent him the $26 exit fee. He has his passport and there will be airfare reimbursement for him in Boston. But these things are unsettling.

We had our Saint Patrick's Day party. It was incredibly well organized this time Rock band from San Jose, DJ, a special stout made for us by Costa Rica’s craft brewing Co. fabulous Irish food made by an Italian chef. About 200 people—less than our crazy parties, but much more manageable. Check out the pics at www.voiceofnosara.com. The ale atmosphere makes for a congenial conversational ambiance and we also have the ever present tropical breezes and for the party we had an almost full moon. Somebody called our place Shangri—la. The natural beauty, the pure air, and the clean water endure. (deep sigh).

And we are having visitors. My nurse friends Lorae and Cathy were here from Boston. They went to the resort at the Tabacon Hot Springs first which they highly recommend. Expensive but worth it, they said. Then we had Joe’s nephew, Chris, and three of his friends. They are our first guests to rent a boat and go fishing: we have ocean fishing and reef fishing here and they brought back enough fish for us to last for a couple of months. They also enjoyed visiting the Bamboo Bar in Nosara village. Tourists don’t usually go to the village-- I guess the Pacific Ocean and all the tourist things in the American Beach project are enough when you are on vacation. When we have visitors we pretend we are on vacation too. It was unusual to see Joe hanging out in lounge chairs by the pool with our visitors.

And I am involved in my job search to get back to the states. I am working with two companies and will sign up with a third one soon. My old spot at Beth Israel is not available and in general there are more advanced practice jobs than staff jobs right now. MA is my first choice since I am licensed to do advanced practice there. But I am hopeful about a spot in West Va., Oregon or Arizona. Nothing has gelled yet and I am anxiously filling out applications and calling my recruiters. I am looking forward to doing advanced practice work again—I surprise myself. And we do need the money.

I am continuing to work on my memoir—we have now been here six years. The newness of living here has worn off and we have the conveniences of a gas station, internet and a bank. I ride my quad on the dirt roads, go to the beach and it still feels like paradise. I have started doing breathwork classes at Nosara Wellness Center- a beautiful spot here in the jungle. The method is being well received and the facility is open to including me. So this may lead to something . But the money is in the states, at least so far. Hopefully my next post will be from MA, West Va or one of the other states that are easier to be licensed, like Texas. Every state has their own requirements and application processes. First the job, then the license….Hope all are well. Stay in touch , love Helena and Joe

Roam, sweet home: Boston Globe article by Brittany Danielson

2011-03-01T09:50:00.000-06:00

Roam, sweet home
By Brittany Danielson
Boston Globe Correspondent/ February 27, 2011

NOSARA, Costa Rica — To get to Joe and Helena Wygal’s home in this surfing outpost on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, put your vehicle into four-wheel drive and prepare for a bumpy ride. Cross the gurgling waters of the Rio Nosara — there’s no bridge — and make your way, very carefully, up a near-vertical ascent to the whitewashed hilltop retreat the former Somerville natives now call home. When you arrive, captivating vistas of rolling hills, mountaintops, and expansive ocean greet you.

Also waiting: a cold pint of ale.

The Wygals, who packed up their Massachusetts lives and relocated to Costa Rica in 2005, are among the more than 1 million Americans who have found their piece of retirement heaven abroad. Lured not only by the prospect of sunnier skies and palm-lined beaches, the chance to live a life of comfort — or even luxury — for less is enticing many retirees to take a look at foreign locales.
The Wygals, for example, live in Costa Rica on a budget of around $2,000 a month — including a gardener and housekeeper. They bought their custom-built home and its 2-acre lot for just under $100,000. Their furniture, handmade from native hardwoods by a local artisan, cost half of what it might have stateside, they said.
But the best thing about life in Costa Rica, the Wygals say, isn’t the low cost of living, but the spectacular natural setting. “Instead of the traffic in the morning, I wake up to the sound of howling monkeys,’’ said Joe Wygal. “It’s like a little symphony.’’

The Wygals first visited Costa Rica in 1989 and fell in love with its natural beauty and welcoming people. When the time came to buy property, they decided on Nosara, where surfer dudes, yoga enthusiasts, and a growing community of retirees mingle. An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 Americans live in Costa Rica.
Once they were settled, Joe Wygal, 64, the former owner of the Arbor House Bed and Breakfast in Somerville and a craft beer enthusiast, got to work building a small, English-style pub on the property. The pub, called the Black Sheep, is open only on Saturdays for members and their guests.

Complete with a gleaming bar of local hardwoods, Tudor-style walls decorated floor-to-ceiling with European beer paraphernalia, and casks of hard-to-find brews, the pub has become a favorite watering hole of the expat community. With patrons spilling onto the outdoor patio, the Wygals can accommodate well over 100 people.
“I wanted to take what was important to me down here,’’ said Wygal, who operates the Black Sheep as a not-for-profit business. “We do it for fun. It’s one way to form your own community.’’

While the economic advantages of retiring abroad can be many, it’s best to investigate carefully. Cost of living can vary widely depending on location. The Wygals, who traveled back and forth to Costa Rica over the course of more than a decade, recommend that others seeking to retire abroad visit the country more than once — and visit often.

Another consideration: Medicare doesn’t cover US citizens once they’ve crossed the border. Nonetheless, savings on health care can be significant. Depending on where you settle, you may be able to join your adopted country’s national health care system, according to American Citizens Abroad, a Washington-based organization that advocates for expatriates.

Even if purchased out of pocket, health care in many of the countries where retirees tend to relocate tends to be very affordable. Doctor’s-office visits, hospitalization, and medications are often a fraction of the US cost.
But it isn’t all good news. US citizens are still required to file federal income taxes no matter where they reside — although there are exemptions for some income earned abroad. As for foreign taxes, specialists say, it’s best to check with a local tax attorney to be sure you understand what’s in store.

In addition, culture shock, language barriers, and estrangement from friends and family can all be factors that adventurous settlers never bargained for. The Wygals advise that if you’re not patient and ready to deal sensitively with differences in culture, cuisine, bureaucracy, and business, don’t move to a foreign country.

The Wygals are already looking ahead to the future. Helena Wygal, 60, still spends three months of the year working as a psychiatric nurse at Beth Israel Hospital in New York, but wants to completely retire from nursing within a year or two. And while they’ve enjoyed the seclusion of their hilltop paradise, they are planning to move closer to San Jose, the capital, for easier access to medical care, goods, and services as they get older. With their home — and the Black Sheep Pub — up for sale, the Wygals are enjoying what may well be their last season in Nosara. But after five years living abroad, they consider their adopted nation to be home.
“We’ll always be faithful American citizens. We’ll pay our taxes and keep our passports,’’ said Joe Wygal. “But we always plan to stay in Costa Rica.’’

© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.

Proper Breathing Can Be Therapeutic--by Fritz Elmendorf

2011-02-27T17:29:00.000-06:00

Yoga-Wellness Voice of Nosara January 2011
Proper Breathing Can Be Therapeutic, by Fritz Elmendorf

By focusing on proper breathing under the guidance of a trained therapist, a person can distribute subtle energy throughout the body and heal emotional issues or restore lost vitality, according to Nosara practitioner, Helena Greaney.

Greaney said the breathwork practice resonated with her own explorations of Yoga, Tai-Chi, ChiKung and her own studies of body-oriented psychotherapies as a psychiatric nurse and therapist. She learned the technique from Samvedam Randles, founder of the Inner Arts Institute, who synthesized it from Eastern and Western body-oriented and psychological practices. “I thought it was pretty amazing.”, said Greaney.

In breathing more fully and deeply, under the oral guidance and sometimes guiding touch of the therapist, “Things happen in the body and in the person. I am looking for where the breath is going, and where it is stopping.” Energetic or emotional blocks can be released, “Making room for joy and love and qualities that we seek. Most people have restricted breathing, and need to let go of tensions and negativity, bringing breath into the whole body,” Greaney said.

According to a description of breathwork in Wikipedia, there are several schools of breathwork therapy, with a strong connection to the yogic breathing practice of pranayama. Wikepedia also notes there have been several criticisms of breathwork’s safety, “ with critics pointing out the well-known physiological dangers associated with hyperventilation.” Further, there is a lack of peer-reviewed studies of its effectiveness, Wikipedia notes.

According to Greaney, “It tends to be intense because people are not used to breathing this way. It’s not forced, it’s a rhythm, and some go on an internal journey. It’s an active meditation, very individual, very personal,” she said.
Increasingly, the medical and scientific establishment is examining alternative medical practices. Neurophysiologist Candace Pert states that there is a wealth of data showing that changes in the rate and depth of breathing produce changes in the kind and quantity of peptides that are released from the brain stem.

Consciously altering the breath can cause the peptides to diffuse rapidly throughout the cerebral spinal fluid in an attempt to restore homeostasis. Many of these peptides are endorphins, the body’s natural opiates, as well as other kinds of pain relieving substances, according to Pert. She reports that peptides may provide the scientific rationale for the powerful healing effects of conscious connected breathing.

The sessions can be used to address anxiety or depression or as part of a therapeutic process, but Greaney said that often clients are just curious. “Sometimes people go to old memories that haven’t been sufficiently processed, or experience active dreaming. It’s not a spiritual practice, “But people do have spiritual experiences, “Greaney concluded.

February 2011

2011-02-19T13:05:00.000-06:00

February. We had a fantastic party featuring four draft ales, all fresh from Costa Rica’s Craft Beer Co, Costa Rica’s premier microbrewery. Segua, an amber ale is the favorite, Libertas is catching on as alternative to Stella. Especially made for us for the anniversary, we had a dunkel weizen served in wheat beer glasses and an IPA. The brewer, CS, is from Dogfish Brewery and all his beers are all truly amazing. We had about 100 people here which is a more manageable group than our larger parties. Some of our regulars had other commitments and they were missed. We were glad to see our friends who could come and there were many new people who came primarily for the beer. The Black Sheep is becoming an ale house.

We have had some interest in our house— three parties looked last week. And John just sold three lots in the A section so there is movement here on the mountain. The people who bought John’s lots are from Florida and one of the women is planning on building soon. I have a link on the side of this posting about Finca Dona Cielo, where we all live--in the most natural environment I have ever experienced.
We are considering another spot to move in Costa Rica—Orotina. Temperate climate ,located halfway between San Jose and the Pacific and on the main road to San Jose so we can get in easier for medical appointments. We will visit soon.

Here in Nosara, it is sunny, hot, with blue skies and delicious gentle breezes. Usual when it is stormy in the US, we get the strong winds—but not this year. We keep the gardens around our house watered so they are green, but the area will get dried out until the rains begin in May. My pool gets warmer every day and I continue with my midday swims and occasionally a mid day siesta. My friends, Lorae and Cathy from Boston were here last week visiting and enjoyed the tranquility

We were interviewed by a Boston Globe reporter late January for an article about people who move abroad for retirement—we are the example. It will be in the Sunday February 27th issue in the travel section.

Internet was down for a couple of days so I went to the library to use their free Wi-Fi. The library has books for Ticos and expatriates—I borrowed a couple of bestselling memoirs to continue my writing education. Also, it was good to see the local children learning how to use the computers and it was good to be at the library and to be reminded of the diversity here in Nosara.

We are beginning the preparations for our Saint Patrick’s Day party. We are hoping for Zopolit from San Jose but it is hard to plan things with certainty, here. We had a great crowd last night at the pub—40 people for a pre wedding party. Our water was out….but we managed…Costa Rica is the land of “Pura Vida”, and besides the “ Pure Life” of living here, every day we are also grateful for water and electricity. Pura Vida, Joe and Helena

January 2011

2011-01-25T08:44:00.000-06:00

Best New Year’s party yet. We knew everybody or we did by the end of the evening. About 300 people. Having a young punky rock n roll band from San Jose gave a great energy to the place. Drums, bass, and guitar…that was enough. They were practiced musicians and their name was Zopolit which means “Roadkill”. They were all 19 years old. Panchos did the food—Steve brought up a pizza oven and this was the best food ever for our venue--really good pizza. Preparations were nerve-wracking--We had several new staff, a new source of beer, and a new process for getting our liquor and Joe remodeled the pub. The preparations were well worth the results. Now we prepare for the fifth anniversary of the Black Sheep on Feb 5th. “Celebrating five years of Pub-luv” is our slogan for the party copied from two British girls who loved the pub on NY eve.

Have been going to the Costa Rica Yoga Spa two-three times/week. I do Breathwork sessions for them and I take classes. I like the reciprocity. They have excellent teachers and I learn new things. Thai massage. Acro yoga. I do private breathwork sessions at my house.

We have internet here now. I can get it on my phone and I can hook up my phone to my computer so it works as a modem. It changes being here. The convenience is wonderful and there is a trade-off with nature being more in the background. I am glad I was here for so many years without the internet. Makes me think of the original expats in Nosara who only had electricity four hours per day on a generator.

Our finca community in the wilderness is growing. Tim and Wella moved in. They are a couple from CA whose son is an Olympic swimmer. They have been using my pool while theirs is being built. They have a lot of questions about how to get things done. We answer their questions and tell them to gather information from others also since what works for us may not work for them…Even something as simple as deciding to get a vacuum cleaner—do you need one? Would something else work better? Where to get one? It can be overwhelming to make all these little decisions and there are different rules for getting things done. We have seven families on the hill so far and 1-2 more houses under construction. We are a unique group. What we have in common is John and Hotel Playa Nosara. We all came here through the hotel, met John, and here we are in Paradise.

The dry winds are here…so far they are light breezes. Sunny and warm every day. No offers on the house. Soon, we hope. www.nosaraparadise.blogspot.com Send us a buyer and you get a finders fee. And thanks to Costa Rica’s Craft Brewery, the Black Sheep Pub is reborn as an ale house. We have two ales on tap. The Brewer is from Dogfish Ale. Joe is in heaven. And an ale house makes for a convivial atmosphere with a lot of conversation.

More later. Love Joe and Helena

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-22T08:58:00.000-06:00

Happy Holidays to all. Xmas in the tropics is always a bit odd for us and this year Joe is re-doing the pub so all his energy is going into having it painted, reframing and rearranging pictures and beer paraphernalia. We are getting ready for our annual New Year’s Eve gala and this is shaping up to be the best one yet.

I arrived back in paradise in late October just in time to experience the final burst of the rainy season. A tropical storm brought three feet of rain causing flooding in the village and throughout Costa Rica. Up here on the mountain, it was safe and glorious--gentle mists followed by torrents of rain, occasional clearings where the clouds hover and touch the hills across the valley. I loved hiking our mountain with my oversized umbrella taking in the lush jungle foliage and unwinding from my six months in the States.

Living up here with the rhythms of nature is clean, beautiful, and peaceful. Doing yoga is heavenly—the peaceful images, the gentle breezes, the calm rhythms. Generally I only go off the mountain for errands. And I drive my quad like I have been doing it forever. Joe and I watch reruns of Boston Legal on our movie screen every night. It is a great life.

We have new gardeners, Diego and Xavier. Diego is in his early 20's, tall, with dark wavy hair and light skin. He wears some of Joe's old T shirts, like Obama 2008. Xaviar is in his early 40's, with a slight build, a sad face, and a weathered look. Joe meets with them every morning and his Spanish improves as he supervises them. There is so much to explain about how we want things and sometimes there are misunderstandings.

Joe had a “Welcome Home” party for me just after I arrived. About thirty of our friends came, brought food to share, and it was great to see everyone. I did a Breathwork session at the nearby Costa Rica Yoga Spa and I am advertising for Breathwork and Counseling in the Voice of Nosara. I hope to be doing sessions on a regular basis thought our main focus is on selling our house.

No bites on the house yet but I now have business cards I give to our friends. “If you find us a buyer, you get a finder's fee” I tell everyone. Brokers don’t work the way they do in the states. Here, their strategy is to post on the internet, have a live person answer the phone and that seems to be it. We need more active marketing than this and who better to help us than our friends. So check out our blog again. Www.nosaraparadise.blogspot.com which has all the specifics and if you find us a buyer, you get a finder’s fee.

Joe and I went to San Jose last week for medical appointments. It was unseasonably cold with temperature in the high 50’s and people wearing gloves and scarves. Now we are preparing for our big party. We are THE PLACE for New Years Eve. And now since we aren’t open that often, people really want to come up. Thanks to Alejandro, we have two indie bands coming in from San Jose. Pancho’s, one of our local restaurants will be doing the food. Kimberly will bartend. We are hoping for a good fun party.
We have new phone numbers and finally have internet at home
Joe 011-506-8928-5752
Helena 011-506-8718-8568

Happy New Year from the tropics, Love, Joe and Helena

NY to Nosara Oct 2010

2010-10-27T13:41:00.001-06:00

October New York 2010

Back to Paradise tomorrow. I leave NY at 6am and will be on my terrace in Nosara that evening. My mind is scrambled as I try to wrap up everything here and say goodbye to everyone. In Nosara, the rains will be over the foliage will be green and Joe and I will be deciding how to run the pub in its last (hopefully) season. We will have a good ad campaign for selling the house at the beginning of the high season and we intend to enjoy every minute of our remaining time there.

Besides meeting wonderful people, the best part of NY was my writing classes. And, thanks to Betty Lynch, I am now a fan of the opera. We saw 'Tales of Hoffman' in French last week. I loved reading the translated lyrics on the mini screen on the back of the chair in front of me and the experience was like entering a dream world. My memoir classes were like group therapy—and I liked the structure of everyone taking turns. I have about 27 pages written about our experiences moving to Costa Rica and an outline—so far, the most popular scene is from our therapist's office in Boston. And people liked hearing about the descriptions of nature.

Joe was here for 17 days in August. We saw Million Dollar Quarter from third row orchestra seats, went to Brooklyn to hang with beer guru Alex Hall and Joe reconnected with Chris Hall a friend from Boston from twenty years ago. He went up to Boston and we spent several days in Rochester visiting Joe's family. Besides catching up with everyone, Joe enjoyed going to dollar stores, department and music stores buying things for himself and the house which are hard to get in Costa Rica. In my apartment, he spent his early mornings on the chairs in front of the laundromat down the street--no porches here on Broadway, the main street where I have been living in colorful Astoria.

I will likely be back next year. Even if we sell the house, I want to make sure we can afford to let my US nursing license go. People wont hire you without recent experience. And I am very lucky to have my niche at Beth Israel Hospital. So we will see. The upheaval of the move to Costa Rica is what got me into writing and going back and forth from NY to Nosara is stimulating.

Please help us sell the house. Tell your friends. If you find us a buyer we will give you a finders fee.

Come visit—it may be our last season in Nosara. San Carlos has hot springs and a volcano but no ocean.

Love Joe and Helena

NY July 2010

2010-07-09T11:18:00.001-06:00

NY July 2010

Joe comes to NYC Aug 10th. He will be in Boston staying at Jack and Margaret's from the 13th to the 16th and we will both be in Rochester from the 18th to the 23rd. The rest of the time we are in NYC--he goes back Aug 27th.

We are looking for a couple from Long Island--we met you at the Black Sheep Pub in Nosara two years in a row. She introduced me to the chocolate martini and he said he was in the Witness Protection Program...You both drank gin martinis and he said he reads this blog...Please email me at HGreaney@gmail.com We would love to hang out with you in NYC

Most of my time is spent working and staff nursing is largely about group dynamics. I am floated a lot and I am comfortable with all the psych and detox units at Beth Israel Hospital. I do a good job; most people like me and my contract has been renewed till the end of Oct. I started to look into teaching nursing but I am not sure if I want to do this now. Staff nursing and learning to write may be enough. I am renewing my advanced practice certification just in case.

I drafted an outline for my memoir on moving to Costa Rica and I am working on Chap 1 as a stand alone story. There is a lot to learn about creating scenes, pacing, and dialogue. I am signed up for Memoir 2 at Gotham Writing where I continue to study and practice. I start next week--one 3 hour class/week for ten weeks.

I visited Bill and Nancy last week in the Hamptons and we talked a lot about Nosara and how it has changed in the past 20 years. When they had their house built, Nosara was a place people went to retire and do something different; now many young people are coming there to live. A private elementary school for expatriates’ children is thriving. It is interesting being a part of a new community..we are pioneers like in the Old Wild West. All of Costa Rica has this new country feeling and there is a US presence including, I am told, secret military bases. The new bridge in nearby Garza was rumored to have been sent from US Army surplus. Bill and Nancy heard that the very large US Embassy in San Jose may have secret diplomatic functions in Latin America; in sleepy Nosara we don’t usually think about these things. We just like to experience Nature which is all around us like being in heaven.

Jerry and Patrice Joyce visited Joe at the pub last week. I look forward to Joe's visit next month. Maybe Joe will see people in Boston or let me know if you will be in NY. Please stay in touch. Contact info on top of blog.
Love Helena and Joe

New York May 2010

2010-05-18T16:00:00.002-06:00

It is hard to work after so many months of the good life—the routine comes back but is tiring. The weather is jolting—I am used to the heat and it is still spring like. There are many things vying for your attention here--a different planet from sleepy Nosara .My room is over a Croatian bar which is noisy on the weekend with the boom—boom of the bass. I wear silicone earplugs and the industrial headphones my brother gave me two years ago when I was living next to a noisy manhole cover. I am renting from my dancer friend from last year. It is a one bedroom (we each have our own room)—it is a bit tight but is actually working out fine.

I saw Patti Smith being interviewed for her book “Just Kids”—she performed two songs and she seemed like a really nice person which wasn’t the impression people had of her twenty years ago. I went to the play, the 39steps—the comedy, which was famous in London. I see Phantom of the Opera—the off Broadway version on May 21st, on Joe’s When I’m 64 birthday party. I went to a couple of Baba meetings. Katy has a DVD which was very soothing to watch and Charles Haynes gave a warm talk the other night.

NY vignettes

I found out late in the afternoon that Patti Smith was being interviewed at the NY Public Library. On the Internet it said it was sold out but tickets may be available at the door. I went there two hours before it was scheduled to start and was put on a waiting list. I hung around outside as the line of about 300 people formed. A girl asked me: “Do all these people have tickets. “ “Yes”, I said. “I am on a waiting list and I hope I get in.” “Oh,” she said. “Are you by yourself? I have an extra ticket.” “Can I pay you?” I asked. “No,” she said, “someone gave me two tickets. “ My mouth drops open, “I guess I just made your day.” She said.

Overheard on subway by two men in their twenties. “There is really no such thing as social obligations. You can just do what you want as long as you don’t step over any lines.”

My writing class is 10 women with a teacher who just published her own memoir. The students include an Indian chef who has lived in four countries, a Brooklyn psychologist, an English writer, and several others, all with interesting stories about their lives . We present our work for feedback and I am learning so much.

That’s all for now. Call or email. 347-891-2883. HGreaney@gmail.com. I will try to catch up with everyone while I am here…Love Helena and Joe

April 2010 Nosara

2010-04-07T15:25:00.002-06:00

Last CR entry of the dry season. April 2010

I got my job in New York starting April 19th. I will be back at Beth Israel Hospital for 13 weeks. It was quite the ordeal landing this spot. I am busy now making arrangements. When I get to NY I will probably sign up for a writing class.

The hot dry dusty season is here. The landscape and scenery has browned out and temperatures are 80 to 100. My friend Isabelle from Boston just visited. I showed her my routine of swimming at noon to stay refreshed. The heat definitely slows everybody down. It is a good feeling since there is so little that really has to be done.

We are still trying to sell our house. Go to www.nosaraparadise.blogspot.com. Still no offers despite having advertised in many places. Joe will do a video soon and we will get it on U tube. The brokers here tell me no one is coming by or visiting their web sites. We were offering huge bonuses in addition to commission but it didn’t get us any activity. We buried a 2nd statue of St Joseph last month, on the actual feast of St Joseph-- it was from Joe’s 1st communion kit. And we are doing a lot of the minor upkeep that houses need to show well.

We have a new kitty cat. Joe had wanted a new kitten and the kitten Gunter trapped for him turned out to be a small cat who was used to living in the wild. He would not stay in the house but he hung around our area and lived in the jungle. Then Joe began feeding him, petting him, and now he cannot get enough of us including sleeping with us along with the dogs. His name is Guinness and his nickname is Dipstick.

My cousin John from Hartford almost visited this month. It appears other friends from Boston are coming this way in July. Jerry and Patric Joyce. I will be in NY but at least they will see Joe and the pub.

Our St Patrick’s Day party was quite big and successful. However, we are not sure it is the kind of party we want. Our parties take on a life of their own—a little too chaotic for us—still it is always great to see people and having an English pub in the jungle is a kick.

My next entry will be from NY. I will be back living with Chilaires, my dancer friend, at least temporarily. . She is still in Astoria but she moved to Broadway. And I will be back on 5B eves. So my new York life continues.

Stay in touch..Love Helena and Joe

Feb 2010 Nosara

2010-02-24T13:22:00.000-06:00

Feb 2010

The dry weather continues with 80-100 degree temperature, no humidity, and blue skies. I sometimes get up early and do yoga outside. It is a remarkable experience to do yoga and hear the awakening sounds of the monkeys, birds and other wildlife as the sun lightens the area. We had a short uneventful windy season—our windy season correlates to the blizzards up north. These dry winds can be extreme, but this year they are breezy and mostly pleasant. Joe did witness a tree breaking in half on the next lot—these are things we take in stride, now.

We had our 4th anniversary of the Black Sheep Pub in early February. Any party after our New Years Eve party could only be anticlimactic but our regulars showed up for us and it was good to see everyone. The pub has not been open regularly. We don’t currently have a source of draft beer and only have one CO2 tank. We are planning our big Saint Patrick’s Day party. Besides having the same band we had for New Years, we have managed to interest a local well regarded gourmet chef to do the cooking--quite a coup for us. Last year I met people who told me they plan their vacations around coming to our annual Saint Patrick’s Day party.

We are making regular trips to San Carlos and we still want to move there. We have seen another property we like. If we could sell here, we would be in San Carlos. We are registered with three brokers in Nosara, one in Central Costa Rica and we are on several web sites—we have lowered our price and all we need is one buyer to fall in love with our property. Our new brokers seem interested in marketing the property but only one has listed it correctly on their web site—I’m still trying to market and sell on my own.

We have new friends here on the mountain. A Czech couple, Martin and Susan, moved in down the road and I have been getting together with Susan for coffee regularly. They are involved in some major construction of their house and it is coming along well. Susan introduced me to my new Spanish teacher—a young local girl who comes up to our place to review pronunciation. “Listen and speak,” she says. It gets me out of my head to focus on pronunciation. Joe speaks with our gardeners very morning for ½ hour in Spanish to review their work for the day so his Spanish is improving.

I hope to be back in New York the middle of April. In the meantime we hope for our one buyer to show up.

Write when you have a minute. Love Helena and Joe

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-02T13:53:00.002-06:00

Nosara—January 2010

Happy New Year. We spent a good part of the month of December organizing our 3rd annual New Years Eve party. Joe put together several music compilations, listening with his new ipod and new full size headphones to the hundreds of songs I acquired in New York. He is now caught up with popular US and British music from the last 10 years.

The party began at 5pm with trickles of people coming early to see the sunset. El Fenix, our new friends from Refugio del sol did the food—their specialty being pulled pork barbeque. The rock and roll bluesy band set up and Joe started the dance music selections. As people continued to arrive we alternated the lively dance music with the band—the first time we had drums up here. The moon was full, the temperature was about 80 degrees and there were constant breezes. Our blonde bartenders in sexy black dresses kept the crowd at the main bar engaged with speedy service and lively conversation. We had a second outdoor bar for Irish car bombs and three Tico boys worked non stop bussing, stocking, and washing glasses. There were about 250 people throughout the evening eating drinking and talking when they were not dancing. All our regulars came with their families and friends and many thanked us for hosting the event. About half the group cleared out after midnight to go to the Tropicana discotheque in Nosara village—we were told that buses had been hired to shuttle people from the tourist area at Playa Guiones to the Black Sheep and then on to the Tropicana where the festivities continued till daylight—our party was over by 2 which was fine for us.

Life in paradise is good. I swim almost every day which is the ideal mid day activity for the tropical heat. I drive the quad up and down the mountain and it is a perfect vehicle for the rugged terrain. I drive 10 minutes to Pelada Beach often where I can update my NY times, etc on my new ipod touch for reading later. My new smart phone gives me some internet access—it may need to be configured which may mean long talks with the phone company.

Our major focus is going toward selling the house—doing our own marketing and networking since realtors have not been active. We are on some web sites, will be on more and may have interested some realtors who market in the states. . We will continue to court local realtors since potential buyers may go to them. Selling your property here is a full time job and most people seem to do it without realtors.

I am aiming to be back in New York in April at Beth Israel Hospital if there is a spot for me—unless we sell, and then I do not know. We are going to San Carlos next week to look at property and to San Jose later in the month for Joe’s medical appt.

Come and visit while we are still here. They will pave the roads this year and it will be different—better for the locals (we now have a gas station) but not as pristine and natural.

Love, Helena and Joe

Nov 2009--Last New York entry this year.

2009-11-29T21:35:00.001-06:00

I leave for Costa Rica in 36 hours. The transition is always difficult. We are moving forward with relocating. Check out my website for the house and tell your friends. www.nosaraparadise.blogspot.com . It is also on www.viviun.com and will be on other for-sale-by-owner sites. We will register with realtors again but so far they have not found us any offers. We have to market directly to buyers—suggestions on marketing are welcome.

My NY life is packed—the highlight was Joe and Andres visit mid Sept and it was great to see my family and friends. Here are some short vignettes my life here.
--The night before Halloween, a pretty young girl with long blond hair scurries along 3rd avenue carrying a plastic bag and talking excitedly on her cell phone. As I watch her I think Oh my god, she is wearing a nightgown, I continue to watch her and see her fuzzy pink bedroom slippers. I look around and many people are in costume—mostly stand up ears and face make-up—in the streets and in the subway. And nobody seems to notice.
--“Wishful Drinking” with Carrie Fischer is an amazing one-woman play—what a comic mind she has and how comfortable she is with the audience
--As I talk with a bartender at Sweet Afton, the pub on the next block, a couple sits beside me—I find out that the guy is from Costa Rica. The bartender knows Alex Hall, NY CASK guru who took Joe and Andres around to the pubs.
--In my writing class, there are 6 of us and a writing teacher: a clinical psychologist from Argentina, a psychiatrist from Argentina, a lawyer from India, a 911 operator from Brooklyn, a Brooklyn high school teacher on sabbatical, a writer from New Zealand, the teacher from India and me. We read our pieces out loud--the class is like group therapy with a focus.
--I stand on a corner in my neighborhood and see throngs of people walking purposefully down the street. I wonder—where are they going—I join them for about a block thinking --is there a rally, a concert? The crowd breaks up and I realize they had had just gotten off the subway and were probably going home.
-As I read Chekov short stories on the subway, I notice a young woman, seated across the aisle who had just glanced at me. She is reading Chekov plays. Our books have the same picture on the cover. She comes over and we talk about Chekov for the duration of the ride.

I download songs for Joe and finish off odds and ends and get ready for my big trip into the land of being not doing. Please read the next entry--it is my article in November’s Healthcare Traveler. And checkout out our new alternate phone number on top of the blog.

Come visit while we are still in Paradise. …Stay in touch…Love Helena and Joe

From the Jungle to the Asphalt Jungle

2009-11-25T14:37:00.001-06:00

A traveler experiences the best of both worlds by living in Costa Rica and accepting assignments in New York City
Helena Greaney, RN

My travel nurse career started in 2005. My husband and I decided to move to Costa Rica where he could open a pub, and he wanted us “to move now while we were still young enough to do something else”. We were living in Boston and I was working as an advanced practice psychiatric nurse after having worked several years as a nurse manager. Advanced practice work was independent, interesting, and most of the time I liked it. But I was working many hours and had to continually strive to find a balance between work and not-work. As we were preparing for our move, I discussed with my husband the possibility of signing up with a travel company in case we needed more money. He was agreeable and I began networking to out more about travel nursing—this took some effort since it does not seem as if many travel nurses are employed in Massachusetts, at least in my specialty.

Katheryn was my first travel nurse friend. She is a psychiatric nurse and had been traveling a few years when I began writing to her via email. She told me all I needed to hear to decide to start traveling. I signed up with her agency and worked at her hospital in the San Francisco Bay area. She picked me up at the airport, helped me get my license and fingerprints in Sacramento and assisted in my search for housing. I remember feeling shocked and overwhelmed the first few days. I was not familiar with the Bay area and there was a lot of paper work to prepare for my first assignment. Once I started working I was fine. I was confident of my skills and it was interesting to be in a new work environment. The hospital was acute with an average length of stay of 5 days and documentation was streamlined which allowed more time for patient contact. I met many travel nurses and the regular staff was friendly and welcoming. I had several contacts in the Bay area including a first cousin, whom I had never met, a close friend from high school I had not seen in several years, and a couple from Boston who had just moved out there. I felt like I had an instant community and it was great to reconnect with everyone. One of my friends lent me a car which was important for the spread out Bay area.

After completing two separate 13 week assignments at this hospital, and talking with other travelers, I decided to try New York City. There, I would not need a car and I was close to my family in Connecticut where I could see my nephews growing up. I actually grew up near NY and had always thought I would live there someday. So I got my chance.

For the past three years I have been traveling to the same hospital in New York. I have settled into an evening shift while I enjoy New York, visit with my family and make new friends. I have a good relationship with one of the nurse managers who has placed me in an assignment each time I wanted to come back. The last time she said she had 20 applicants for one position and when she saw my name she moved me to the top. Working the evening shift in New York is great. I have my mornings to myself, and since New York is the city that never sleeps, it is safe coming home on the subway at midnight.

It works out better for me to take the housing supplement and find my own place to stay. This is a stressful process but each time I go back it gets easier. It is great to go back to the same hospital with the same group of nurses. I have mostly worked on a detoxification unit and I have learned a lot from the other nurses about treating this group of patients. Friends visit me often, and we go to Broadway plays, music venues, and great restaurants. My husband came one time for a week at the end of one of my assignments and we went to all the great New York pubs.

One of the women I rented from said to me, “I think it is good you come back every year. It is good to be in New York. You should do this even if you do not have to work”. And now I agree. The more I return to New York, the more this lifestyle suits me. I spend some of my time in Costa Rica and some in New York City. The contrast is invigorating and amazing. I like having the structure of a work situation and regular income when I am in New York. And in Costa Rica I am immersed in nature with fabulous views, the sounds of the jungle all around, time with my husband, and time to myself. As one of my new friends said “it is the best of both worlds.” Being a travel nurse makes it all possible.

Health Care Traveler, November 2009, pages 37 and 39

NY-Sept 2009

2009-09-28T09:10:00.001-06:00

NY Sept-- 2009

Now that I am on facebook and writing assignments for my class my blog entries are taking a back seat. I go back to Costa Rica the end of November. In Costa Rica, we now have our own telephone chip in our name so it will be easy (I think) to add data transfer service which is what we need for internet. Here in NY, I am researching phones which act as modems and software to make it possible to have Internet on the mountain—2 other people have it and I think the hard part is getting the chip, which we now have!

After 50 applications on Craigslist and at least 2 people trying to scam me—asking for money to be wired before seeing the apt--, I found a 3room apt in Astoria for $600 for the week of Joe and Andrez visit in mid –Sept. They were here for NY Craft Beer week, saw God of Carnage on Broadway, and discovered a wonderful up-and-coming street music group who played songs from the 20’s and 30’s.. It was great having them here—sometimes I joined them after work but usually I would hang out with them in the morning and go off to work on the 3-11 shift. Most weeks, I work 6-7 shifts because the work is there—the week they were here I only worked 5 shifts.

My new roommate is great—a dancer from Turkey. She has a Turkish friend staying with us now. I had a 21 year old here for a while and she was great too. Sharing living spaces has its advantages in meeting people and learning about the city. And people here are so busy there is plenty of privacy and time to myself.

A magazine called Health Care Traveler has accepted an article I wrote about being a travel nurse. I just signed the contract, I may or may not be compensated, but it is a start. I love my writing classes. I just completed a 6 week class on writing non-fiction and next week I start a 6 week creative writing class. Learning to write is at the very least turning me into a good reader. I just finished James Joyce’s “The Dubliners” and have some anthologies I am going through.

We may have lost the place in San Carlos. The people were under the impression that we had the money in hand even though we told them over and over that all our assets are tied up with our current place. We still are hoping to sell the house in Nosara this season and we still think San Carlos is where we want to be—we are not sure about the pub—we want to do it but only if it is practical and feasible financially. It rains a lot in San Carlos so we may look at Atenas, which is advertised as having the most perfect climate in the world. Both places are close enough to medical facilities, San Carlos may be safer; Atenas has been discovered by the Gringos which means it is likely to be more expensive. We will see. Selling our house is the next big project.

So this is the time to visit if you can. I think I have some friends coming for New Years but any other time. Clean air, warm breezes, lap pool, blue skies, pub, views of the ocean and the valley and the ocean 3 miles away. Paradise.

Write when you can. Or post on facebook. Or call—numbers on top of blog…Love Helena and Joe

Aug 2009

2009-08-13T15:46:00.001-06:00

July-Aug 2009
NY to CR

The first thing I did when I arrived back in Paradise was go swimming in my pool. There is nothing like having your own pool —I joined the Y in NY and have to share a lane with many people. The gardens at our house in Costa Rica are stunning—Joe and our two gardeners have done a spectacular job and having abundant rain keeps everything green.

I had to find another apt in NY---I am still in Astoria which I love, and from mid-Aug until mid-Nov I will be sharing with a dancer from Turkey. My contract was renewed and I will continue at Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan on the 3p-11p shift. Joe and our friend Andrez will be visiting from Sept 13 to 21st—I will find them an apt in Astoria near me. It will be good to be with Joe in NY even if I am working and he can go around the city with Andrez.

Joe met me at the airport in San Jose and we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary on July 28th. Over the last three weeks, we took care of things like paying property taxes, renewing our residencia cards, vision, and dental appts. We still have ahead of us Joe’s out-patient wrist surgery and waiting for the couriers to find our house to deliver our residencia cards.

Now that I am adjusted to being back in Paradise, I get ready for the decent into NY. I start working on August 15th. Hopefully I will not get bronchitis like I did in May. However, once I saw a doctor and took some medication and recovered, I was able to relax into being in NY—I stopped fighting the pollution and congestion and was able to appreciate all that is there.

My friend Lorae visited from Boston just before I came back—we saw Mamma Mia, went to Harlem, to the John Lennon memorial, and to Balthazar for brunch—a fun jam packed 36 hours.

I have a non-fiction writing class lined up for when I am back in NY. It is much easier to read and write while in Nosara—there is breathing room; however NY has infinite resources. I have discovered the world of literary magazines—lit mags they are called, and I now appreciate classical and well written literature. I wrote an article for a travel nurse magazine--hopefully it will be accepted. Eventually I want to write for the lit mags—there is a lot to learn.

We visited San Carlos and we definitely want to move there once we sell our spectacular property here. The lot we like is still available: it has 5 acres, a house, a fish farm which we would turn into hot tubs and a site all ready to build the pub. As I continue to go back and forth, I become increasingly accustomed to this as my lifestyle. And Joe and Andrez arrive in 5 weeks.

Please stay in touch. Love Joe and Helena

Hello from New York

2009-06-18T11:57:00.004-06:00

My NYC News—June 2009

Hi—I miss everybody but NY is amazing.
Went to two plays over the weekend with my friend Anne from CA--HAIR and “God of Carnage”….both plays were very high quality and very expensive. We also spent a lot of time in the Village, where we used to go as teenagers. It is great that we had this time together in NY--she and her family may come visit us in CR.

I have been to some wonderful music venues in the city. Joe’s Pub and Cornelia café are my favorites, though I also like the Bitter End. I find that if I go out once/week, I get a mental lift which balances the city’s shortcomings. These being my 3rd time here, I now have some friends— though working eves and alternate weekends limit free time for social outings. I went with my friend Betty to see Lion King last week—we went to a Moroccan bar afterwords where people were smoking hookah water pipes at the tables—not sure what was in the pipes but it did not come into the air. And Lion King with those puppets and African music was incredible.

As stimulating and exciting as it is here, it is hard to be away from Joe and my life in Costa Rica. I miss everything about Costa Rica—the clean air and water, time to be in the present, and my friends. It feels like I breathe with my whole body when I am there. I am getting over a cold here in NY with a dry cough which I think is related to the cold damp weather and dirty air.

Our plan is for me to go to Costa Rica on July 27th for three weeks and then come back here for another three months, assuming I can get another contract. It sounds like a lot of time but we do need the money. Our plans for Costa Rica are still to sell our place in Nosara and move to more affordable, closer to medical care, San Carlos. Joe found a property he loved in San Carlos (scroll down the blog for some pics)—hopefully we will find a similar property when we are able to buy—his visit helped us confirm that we want to move there.

Joe tells me our fruit trees on our property in Nosara are maturing and that we now have mangos. We have had oranges and limes in the past—and of course, bananas. He is working on a vegetable garden. We need a buyer who wants this kind of life all ready made---I know they are out there. We need a realtor to help us find a buyer.

We have a new kitten, Sonia, named after Sonia Sotamayor. Ainsley is the only one left of the 3 cats we brought down from Boston. Our dogs are cute as ever—Frieda continues to tremble in fear and hide during thunderstorms—and Nina remains relatively stable though she does stalk and stare at poor Ainsley. Joe tells me that Sonia licks Frieda’s forehead during her fear-spells.

Write back when you have a minute—I love to hear from everybody. Or call Joe…Our numbers are at the top of the blog….And I am now on facebook…Love Helena and Joe

San Carlos-Joe's favorite property (so far)

2009-06-18T11:52:00.004-06:00

Nosara April 2009

2009-04-17T13:46:00.002-06:00

Hi everybody:
My next post will be from NY. I will be arriving April 21st and will start working at Beth Israel Hospital April 27th --the same place as last year. I am back in Astoria with Muzich starting May 1st—she found me a place near her apt for the first 2 weeks. I will be away from Costa Rica for at least 13 weeks. As soon as I have a phone number, I will post it on the top of the blog.

No major movement on selling our house yet. People are slowing hearing about it. It is a beautiful place we have here—we have to find the right person at the right time. We are listed with some brokersand I will be putting it on some Internet sites soon. Scroll down the blog for some pics which I have sent to real estate people.

I am finally at-one with my quad driving it everywhere. It is sturdier and safer than a motorcycle and it hugs the terrain like a mini tractor. It is still sometimes disconcerting to feel wobbling and sliding on uneven earth but I wear a helmet (both for safety reasons and to keep my hair clean) and it is a great vehicle for errands. I actually drove Joe on the back to a doctor’s appt to have his cast removed. His wrist appears to be healing fine—he still has some pain but less every day.

The weather is now hot, dry, and dusty—April is the height of the dry season. For a few days there was a fire in the mountain across the way to the left of our biergarten. It started as a controlled fire for reforestation—then the winds came and spread the flames. For three days we watched it burn before the fire dept contained it.

Our next new home, which we expect to be in San Carlos, is intermittently rainy throughout the year, though the only time it rains a lot is in Dec. We had hoped to visit again before I go to the states but it looks like Joe will be going with Gunter in May to further investigate the area. There are a couple of properties which sounds interesting to us but again, we need to sell here before we can move.

The water in my swimming pool is quite warm now, and the bougainvilleas are brilliantly colored. When I finish my noon swim, I can look at the mountains or the Pacific Ocean. We have a new outdoor kitchen. The air and water are clean and pure and it is an incredible place to be.

Come visit while we are still here and the life we have here still exists—once the roads are paved it will be different—more amenities and less nature.

Write when you have a minute—or call Joe in CR or me in NY… Love Joe and Helena

2009-04-14T16:15:00.002-06:00

2009-04-14T16:15:00.001-06:00

2009-04-14T16:14:00.001-06:00

2009-04-14T16:13:00.000-06:00

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Nosara March 2009

2009-03-19T11:02:00.004-06:00

Nosara March 2009

The only blemish on the fabulous St. Patrick’s Day party was that toward the end of the evening, Joe broke his wrist—details later, he says. We had at least 200 people, Joe’s nephews visiting; a good team of bartenders, a good cook, and live music. We will likely go to San Jose on Monday to have the wrist x-rayed and treated. We are recently back from Ciudad Quesada and we loved it—this will be our next home—temperate weather, close to medical facilities and other amenities, and lower cost of living. We had a great time with Pedro and Lisa, met many people, looked at lots and found one we liked. However, we cannot buy until we sell here so like the rest of the world we wait and hope for the economy to recover so that people will spend again. Our best prospect for selling appears to be realtors in the states.

Joe’s nephew Chris has been helping me get comfortable with my quad. He has been riding on the back while I go up and down the mountain—soon I will be doing it myself. I have started the process of trying to get back to NY to work in the spring/ summer. It will be great to see my family and friends, take a writing class, check out Yoga studios, etc. not to mention all that the city has to offer. Hopefully there will be a spot for me at Beth Israel Hospital—it looks promising.

It has been windy on and off here which means there are snow storms in the northeast—however extreme the weather is here, it is always warm.

Our drive to Ciudad Quesada was a challenge. One hour after we left Nosara, on a dirt road to Nicoya, every so often the car would rock from side to side. We finally figured out that the problem was the bushings and that the car would rock when we went over 25 miles per hour (15 km per hour). It was a Sunday, no mechanics were working, so we crawled to Ciudad Quesada, passing the scenic road around Lake Arenal—a 6 hour trip took close to 2 days which included staying overnight in Nuevo Arenal.. It was fairly stressful, especially not knowing exactly what the problem was and if it would get worse.

I met Kelly Patterson, a former AIDS worker in South Africa who is dynamic and encouraging of our efforts here. We have started procuring and distributing condoms and have another Tica pharmacist and a Tica yoga teacher in our group. So our efforts here are moving along.

Write when you can. I hope to be in NY soon. Love Helena and Joe

Nosara Feb 2009

2009-02-12T10:49:00.002-06:00

Nosara Feb 2009

Just after Ginger and Mark left to return to Boston, we began experiencing hurricane force winds. It lasted 5 days and was quite scary. I was afraid to go out with the debris flying around and the roof was rattling like crazy. About one quarter of the roof blew off and now we are dealing with the repairs. Ginger and Mark spent part of their time in Samara which is more developed than Nosara and has safer swimming. Their daughter, Molly, was pulled out by a current in Nosara the first day they were here and we all got a scare. Having no infrastructure in Nosara means no regular lifeguards and no current or storm warnings. When it is windy here, there are snow storms in the northeast and however bad the weather is here, at least it is warm.

We are continuing with selling the house and trying to move. We are listed with a couple of brokers but it seems that people are waiting to see how the economy turns out before they make large purchases. So we have to wait too. We were all set on the Puriscal-Ciudad Colon area in the Central Valley until our friends Peter and Lisa came by. They just moved from Nosara to the Ciudad Quesada area and they love it. They have a 100 acre farm with a stream, sheep, cows, views of the Arenal volcano, and a chapel (it used to be a monastery). We would like to buy a few acres so we could build a house, a pub, and maybe have a few sheep, black if possible. We would be 2 ½ hours from San Jose, which is a little more than we would like, but everything is cheaper there. There are fewer expatriates and no tourists. Instead there are hardworking Tico farmers and Ticos with a lot of money, i.e. the ones that own the bus lines, etc. There are also a lot of volunteers who come from all over the world to work on the farms. We will visit soon and see if the pub would work. Everything else sounds good.

We are expecting visitors next month, my friends Julia and Lorraine from Beth Israel Hospital, NY--another nurse friend, this time from the Bay area, Terri and her friend Joyce are coming this month. And Joe’s nephew Chris is coming in March, the first of either of our families to visit. We are preparing for our 3rd anniversary party on Saturday. We had a pre-wedding party last week. Hosting other people’s parties has been great so far—we do the bar, they do the food and music, they pay for our staff and give Joe and me a meal in lieu of a rental fee.

I have some new psych referrals and the bar is going great. My women’s group continues to move along. I write articles on sex eduction for the local paper—they translate my articles but I am not sure how widely they are read in Spanish—I am told the locals get headaches when they read. I have written and sent out essays to be published in the Sun magazine. (Nothing accepted yet). I think I need a teacher. If I go to NY to work again this spring, and I hope I do, I will take another class with the Gotham Writers group.
My email contacts on Google were eliminated for two months and now they are back making it much easier to send emails. We are in our last phase of being in Guanacaste so if you want to see this remote part of Costa Rica before it disappears with the paved roads, come now. Please write back when you can. Take care, Joe and Helena

Nosara January 2009

2009-01-24T10:22:00.001-06:00

Nosara January 2009

Now that we have decided to move everything has a different focus. We looked at neighborhoods in the San Jose area and we are interested in Ciudad Colon. There are beautiful mountain lots and it is close enough to the city to make life easier—medical care, land-line telephone, internet, garbage pick-up, etc. We will build—it is cheaper, we will get closer to what we want including at least a ½ acre of land. We just listed our property —the market is flat –but you only need one buyer. Joe is working on designing the new house which will include an on-site pub. A commercial venture in Ciudad Colon will be step two—once we stabilize with our new house and private pub.

We finally got our car back with a new engine. Thanks to our neighbors, Emily and Peter who often helped us get to town, we survived 4 months without a car. My quad is here and I am challenging myself with riding it--there is more to it than I expected—maneuvering on rough terrain on inclines is scary. I went to town with a friend last week—she had her own quad—and did ok.

The pub continues to do well. We are open Fri and Sat and for small groups and private parties. It is easier for me to bartend on regular nights than to hire people—we had 40 people one night over a 7 hour period and I did fine—Joe helped with pouring beer when I made cocktails. Our New Years Eve party was great—about 175 people--smaller than last year but we made more money, we knew more of the people and someone had fireworks which they set off in the garden--it was great.

Our woman’s group, Mujeres Saludables de Nosara, (translated to Nosara Woman’s Health) continues to develop. We will soon be a NGO (non governmental organization) and have our own bank account. We raised a small amount of money which we are using to finance educational presentations and Xerox printed materials from the Our Bodies, Ourselves series. Our first talk last month went well and I am writing articles on birth control and sexually transmitted diseases for the Voice of Nosara. People recognize me from my picture.

Last week I was on the public bus with a teenager and her 2 day old baby. She was coming back from Nicoya, two hours away, alone, after delivering her baby at the Nicoya Hospital. When she got off the bus in Nosara, she had another 6 miles to go on foot. We saw her on the road nursing her baby and offered her a ride part-way. Evidently it is a common practice for girls to go to Nicoya alone to have their babies--the family not always having the means to send someone with them. The girl seemed very happy with her new baby; she told me it was her second.

Today, we look forward to Ginger and Mark and their family visiting from Boston. It is vacation for us when people visit because we get to enjoy the area too. The weather is beautiful, blue skies, warm breezes, always sunny, temperature in the 80’s. Write when you can. And visit!!—while we are still here! Love Helena and Joe

Nosara Dec 2008

2008-12-01T10:38:00.001-06:00

Nosara December 2008

Joe and I are reevaluating our life here. Our original plan was to give Nosara 5 years and as we move into year #3, we are beginning to consider possible alternatives for the future. We are leaning toward moving closer to the Central Valley near the capital for various reasons, among them being closer to medical care in our later years. Another reason is that Joe always had the dream of pursing a commercial version of the Black Sheep. There is nothing like our pub in Costa Rica and here in Nosara it is very popular with educated Ticos, tourists, and expatriates. The Central Valley has a temperate climate, mountain views, and large concentrations of our key groups of clients. Our friends from San Jose are very encouraging about locating the Black Sheep Pub in the Central Valley and we also have received encouragement about finding possible investors. Over the next few weeks we will be making decisions about listing our property, where to move and where to locate the pub.

The rainy season was not too bad for us this year—the worst of it was non-stop heavy rains for 3 days flooding the town and surrounding areas. We, being without our car (12 weeks total), freed us of car problems, and we adjusted to tagging along with people to go to town for supplies. We mostly stayed on the mountain with our great views (i.e. clouds coming down forming rings on the mountains), the clean air, and the warm breezes and I did some hiking on the mountain with our neighbors, Peter and Emily.

Before we decided to move, we ordered a new ATV (all terrain vehicle) a 250 cc Yamaha product called a Genesis. This is a great vehicle for our dirt roads here and is better on gas than a car. We intend to enjoy our last year here and do a lot of exploring on our ATV. We will either sell it or take it with us to our new home—once my check clears it will be delivered.

The Black Sheep Pub continues its trajectory of success. We hosted a party for our friend Andre’s 60th birthday—a Swiss and German crowd (over 100 people) with live music and catered food-- a classy event. Last week a young Tico couple from San Jose visited and rented one of our guest rooms for the night. We are listed in a Costa Rican guidebook—three lines about the private authentic English pub in the hills of Nosara intrigued them enough to find us. They loved the pub and they are now our friends who may be helpful toward helping us with our relocation to the Central Valley.

The high season is here—the dry winds have started, the skies are blue, and the rain is mostly gone. I am back with my woman’s health project—one of the local hotels is sponsoring a educational event for us in early Dec and I have an upcoming article about our work in Voice of Nosara. I also have ads in the paper for counseling and breathwork.

So if you want to visit, come now—we expect it will take a while to sell but it may not—all you need is one buyer. And it is beautiful here— 3 miles from the Pacific Ocean, ocean and valley views, clean air, tropical breezes and so on—we will miss the natural beauty. Write when you can. Happy Holidays, Love, Helena and Joe

OCT 2008

2008-10-08T09:41:00.001-06:00

Nosara Oct 2008

The rainy season is here--torrents of rain with many respites where we see the abundant foliage, an amazing array of shade of green, and clouds coming down forming rings around the mountains. Temperature is in the 70s’s but we are still wearing light tropical clothes-it is warm enough during the day to swim and at night we need a light blanket. Gunter is still here and we have another German friend, Helmut staying up here with us. Gunter, Joe and I are up early each morning having coffee and it is very pleasant.

Our car is at another mechanics and the new price for repairs is 1/3 of the first mechanics estimate. We continue to be stranded on the mountain dependent on rides and the occasional taxi. Last week, Ty drove me around on the back of his motorcycle to do some errands. And Gunter is a big help to get groceries. Joe and I are still considering getting a quad—it is steep coming up the mountain to our house with one very dangerous curve--a little scary—but no worse than riding on the back of a motorcycle. The car is supposed to be ready today or soon.

I went to San Jose last week for dental work. I also met the director of a woman’s organization there who is a feminist scholar and is supportive of our woman’s health efforts in Nosara. The treasurer of our group has taken the lead toward having us established as a legal entity which will make it possible for us to have a bank account. It is difficult to implement a woman’s program here because people don’t know they need one. We invited a perky 13 year old local girl to our meeting yesterday to get some ideas and she did not know the relationship between the menstrual cycle and making babies. Costa Rica stopped providing sex education in schools in 1998—the US has stopped too.

The pub is great. I have perfected my Cosmo recipe—the secret for me is fresh lime juice and to shake it at least 20 times so it is very cold. Our weekend business is low since the area becomes a ghost town in the rainy season. We open on request for small groups and last week we opened twice, once for a birthday party and once for a small group of Ty’s friends. While in the states, we bought a digital snapshot holder and we loaded all our good pub snapshots over the past 2 years—people love it—it is like our old wall at Arbor House.

We have new neighbors. Emily and Peter moved in earlier this month about 200 meters from us. It is great to have them. Our dogs are getting used to having dogs up the street. So far, Emily and I have gone to Nicoya on the bus and I have joined them in morning walks around the finca—it is interesting to visit John’s projects on foot and see his buildings in various states of completion. Emily is a recovery room nurse; Peter is a surfer and has started travel writing—and they are very nice people.

We have a private 60th birthday party here in early Nov. Private parties may be the way for us to go. It might be simpler and we like parties. Anyway, write when you can. Love Joe and Helena

Sept 2008

2008-09-13T14:51:00.000-06:00

Sept 2008. NY to CR

We are back in Nosara and adjusting to our way of life here—it is intense and rugged here and your emotions can easily go up and down—and it is also beautiful and natural.

The last three weeks of August, Joe and I visited family and friends and we had several days together in NYC. It was good to see everyone but it was hectic and we didn’t see everyone we wanted to see. While we were in NY Joe had a physical and the MD was concerned that Joe’s years of smoking may have resulted in mouth cancer- luckily it wasn’t. Then I broke a tooth from a filling falling out. I was able to wait till we got to San Jose, where I went to Prisma Dental, www.prismadental.com, —my new crown cost $250—and the care was excellent.

While in NYC Joe and I visited several bars—the best was the Blind Tiger Ale House in Greenwich Village: great beer, a great owner, and a friendly environment. Our 2nd favorite was 4th Avenue Bar in Brooklyn, near the Atlantic/Pacific stop in Park Slope. It is too new to be in the guide books and it has CASK beer, friendly staff and patrons, and it is still a neighborhood bar. We were told about it from the guys at the Black Sheep (Brooklyn has its own Black Sheep Pub). My sister came down for one day with my 10 year old nephew—after looking at the lines to the Empire state building, we invited them to the Blind Tiger Ale House for lunch and we had a nice visit walking around the village. Jeremiah has changed so much in one year—last year we were worried about him on the crowded subways because he was so small-- now he can hold his own.

Our trip back to Costa Rica was initially uneventful. We had bought a lot of goods in San Jose and hired a van to take us to Nosara—while en route we heard about flooding in Nosara and were advised to stay in Nicoya. While we were looking for a hotel, we got a call from a mechanic who had our car and said it may not be fixable-- we did not know why Gunter had taken the car to a mechanic and we tried think about it too much until we got the full story. The first hotel we looked at was on fire!!—as we pulled up so did the fire engines and black smoke was coming out of the entrance!! After several tries, we found a hotel and the next day we decided to hire 2 4 wheel drive taxis to Nosara. We were told that if we left early while the tides were low we should be able to cross the bridges. The ride went well until the Santa Marta Bridge which is quite close to our house. As we approached, the mud was thick and though the tide was low, the bridge was damaged and not passable. A local Costa Rican recognized Joe from the Black Sheep and arranged for his friend with a pick-up to meet us on the other side of the bridge. His friend turned out to be Valentin, a young man who had rescued us from the mud with a tractor 2 years ago. This time he backed up his pickup onto the bridge and we walked our stuff from our taxis to his vehicle-- 2 kegs of beer, CO2 tank, several cases of beer, several suitcases, boxes, groceries, and plants we bought in San Jose. We got home and then realized we did not have our phone. No car, no phone--boy did we feel beaten down. Over the next two days we discovered that we had left the phone in the Nicoya taxi. With our neighbors, Eric and Lenore’s help—they had stopped by to see how we were--we dialed our phone number and the driver answered. Joe spoke with him and he agreed to send the phone by bus Monday morning. We were not sure he would actually send it, but he did!! As you can imagine, we were overjoyed to get our phone back and also very thankful that we do not have to go to the trouble of getting a new phone.

Now we have to worry about the car but for now we are stranded in paradise. Come visit in the dry season—it is not so dramatic. Despite the surreal feeling of trying to deal with all of this, it is great to be back. Love Joe and Helena

Update June-July 2008

2008-07-25T10:48:00.002-06:00

Hi Everybody:

It took me 6 weeks to settle down enough to have a good night sleep here in NY—it is an over stimulating environment, which contributes to it being a great place. My friend Ginger was here from Boston and we went to see “Sunday in the Park with George” with her actor-daughter who lives here and we also went to an exquisite gourmet Italian restaurant. I had previously seen ‘The Adding Machine”, an “absurdist” play the week before. The amount of high-quality activity here is astonishing---and overwhelming. I try to do something once/week.

In Nosara, it seems we have lost our gardener, whom we were thinking of as family, to other opportunities. He began to show up intermittently, not do work he was told to do and charge for work not done. After trying for weeks, Joe says he got tired of dealing with Fernando and Fernando got tired of working for us. Now we have two of Fernando’s helpers, Joshua and David, who are young, bright, diligent and industrious and we hope to keep them for a while.

Joe had a 4th of July Red, White, and Blues party. It sounds like it went great—he had a collection of “patriotic” songs that he had compiled, two Blues guitarists, American hotdogs and hamburgers, and draft beer. We had to increase the price of our draft beer -- we probably should have increased more since we have to pay more but we weren’t sure what the traffic would bear. Right now we are charging $4 for 20 oz which is close to US prices and we are trying to be very careful about waste.

Joe will be here in 3 weeks flying in to NY on Aug 11th. We will go directly to Rochester, then to visit Bill and Nancy in the Adirondacks, Bill and Robin in Beverly, Jack and Margaret and then Ginger and Mark in Boston. We will be at Sally O’Brien’s on Sat August 23rd from 5-10 for the weekly post Plough music event. I have about 30 bars and other activities for Joe to try when we return to NY the last week of Aug.

I was at the Blue Note the other night to see Charles Tollivar Big Band. Recently, I saw the Les Paul trio at the Iridium –Steve Miller, long time friend of 93 year old Les Paul, showed up to do “Fly Like an Eagle”. And I saw a great free band at the terrarium-like private development near my work site- a 10 piece Slavic band. As Joe says, in Nosara, we don’t have music but we have the weather.

And I have discovered Macys’—the summer sales are great. This is the original Macy’s and the site of Miracle of 34th St.--Joe is saying that when he comes to NY he wants to spend a day at Macy’s. Now I am busy working to make the last bit of money before heading back to the jungle on Sept 1st. The NY—Nosara contrast is amazing.

Write when you get a minute. We love to hear from everyone. Love Helena and Joe

June 2008

2008-06-13T08:54:00.005-06:00

Hi everybody:

Joe endured a fierce tropical storm in late May. There was no warning-- he and Gunter were on their way back from Nicoya when it hit. They got home safely but there was extensive water in the house and guesthouses. It appears the wind was blowing the rain sideways and the rain came in through any open window and the vents around the roof. It took two days and two people working full time to clean it up. Where we live in Nosara, there is no buffer between you and the weather. A storm like this in NY would probably just clean things up.

NY is dirty but there are pockets of nature. There is a private landscaped park near my work site which is surrounded by high buildings, with a BIG fountain in the middle—it is like being in a giant terrarium. Work is going fine. My bank account is increasingand the job is interesting enough. I am working on two articles, one on breathwork and yoga and one on moving to Costa Rica. I am reading some great literary blogs: http://www.seehowwealmostfly.blogspot.com/ , a writer in the Bay area; http://www.miminewyork.blogspot.com/ a UK writer working as a NY stripper; http://www.oliverdavies.blogspot.com/ a UK writer doing a random job search; and a writer working as a NY waiter http://waiterrant.net/. There is also a blog by a professional journalist in the Nosara area. http://www.gypsyjournalist.com/.

The president of Nature Air, one of Costa Rica’s two domestic airlines, came to the pub last week. He is considering buying property in our development. The pub is a great asset to the development—I found a similar pub in Brooklyn—Mugs Ale House- but there is nothing like the Black Sheep Pub in Costa Rica. When you are in the pub you think you are in England—and then there is the breathtaking view.

Our friends Peter and Emily are moving down from Florida and will soon be our neighbors. Their house, 100 meters from ours, is half finished. Peter is interested in “The Blue Zone” theories of vitality and our area of Costa Rica has been cited for people living long vital lives. I think it is the air; Eric, our neighbor up the road swears by the water; come and see for yourselves. When people are on the mountain they don’t want to leave so there is something.

I visited my friend Sheri (and her 3 month old) from Boston last week. She and her family live in the upscale Park Slope area of Brooklyn and pay huge rent. Sheri loves NY/hates NY ---I feel the same way—the people are great/it is too crowded, etc. I had an interesting NY experience yesterday. It was hot (97 degrees) and dirty as usual and I hated it. I went shopping in Herald Square— first I went to Macy’s and it was too big-- two buildings, designer sections, you really needed a map to find things–then I saw Old Navy across the street. Old Navy was just right-, 3 levels with huge airy ceilings, clean air due to the right amount of air conditioning, a moderate amount of people milling around, good rock music with a good sound system, etc—a great respite from the streets. I bought Joe a couple of things.

Joe will be here in exactly two months. Write, call or email if you have a minute. Love Helena (and Joe)

CR Update May 2008

2008-05-24T09:55:00.004-06:00

Hello from NY:
Joe is doing well in Nosara—our friend Gunter is staying in one of our guesthouses for the summer and it is great for Joe to have company. He just had a full moon party for his 62nd birthday—it was somewhat under attended because of a tragic incident the week before—Tigre, ½ of our barbequing duo, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Fritz had a benefit for Tigre’s family the day before the party and many people cannot go to two events in a row. However, a lot of our friends were at the party and Joe had a good time —he tells me he overdid it on the car bombs—16 in 4 hours--both doctors who were at the party called him the next day to make sure he was OK.

I am enjoying being back in NY. It is good to be in a city, though this being NY, calling it a city is an understatement. I went to the “Bitter End” the other night—3 bands in 3 hours, $5 cover, $11 martinis, $6 for Bass on tap. And I recently went to the Village Vanguard—the best venue for jazz I have ever been to- the Al Foster Quartet—incredible acoustics in a small basement ($30 cover which includes one drink). I had lunch with George Howie the other day who was passing through and I see Louisa my Australian friend from Nosara, soon. I have visited my brothers and my 3 year old nephew in CT and will see my sister and my 10 year old nephew next month. It is good to say in touch with everybody.

I am safely at Muzich’s apt in Queens and I was fortunate to get this spot. She had just posted an ad on Craig’s list when I contacted her. NY is tough to get a temporary apt—I am told there is a 1% vacancy rate and places go fast. However, I have discovered the world of the youth hostel. I visited 3 youth hostels the other day in anticipation of next year’s work-visit to NY. The best one was Hostel International on the Upper West Side and it was great…spacious…friendly workers, etc. so next year this will be my back-up plan for initial housing while I look on Craigslist, assuming I can come back to Beth Israel. It may sound silly to plan this far in advance but it is hard getting things done from Costa Rica and the more I put in place while I am here the easier it will be next year. The nurse manager at Beth Israel told me they are opening another psych unit so there should be a need for me next year.

I took a class last week in writing personal essays—there is a structure to personal essays and places to send them when completed. The instructor said an essay is 900-1500 words about a personal experience grafted onto a universal experience. It seems doable and as long as I write them and send them, it may lead somewhere. Barnes and Noble in Union Square has lots of literary magazines for browsing—according to my guidebook, this particular Barnes and Noble is the former site of Andy Warhol’s factory. And I am communicating with a possible funding source for my woman’s group in Nosara. Anything could lead anywhere.

The pub is doing great. Joe has several people wanting to bartend—the feast or famine dilemma. He is saying he may have to open the pub more days just to accommodate the bartenders—I think this is good. Bartenders bring up their own crowd and we do have a wide range of patrons. So write or call if you can. Email is best but my phone # is at the top of the blog. Love, Helena and Joe

CR Update April 2008

2008-04-18T11:27:00.001-06:00

Hi everybody:

I start my job in NYC on April 28th—the same place as last year—this time on the evening shift from 3p to midnight. In NY, which is constantly in motion this is fine and it means I have at least 5 hours of free time in the morning. I will stay with Muzich, my Turkish friend who has the jewelry store in Greenwich Village, at least initially. Joe will be coming out in mid-August and we are coming back to CR together on Sept 1st. We will likely visit Rochester, Boston, and NY and hope we will be able to see all our families and friends. I will see my family in CT next week.

My woman’s group is progressing, however slowly. The Harmony Hotel has agreed to buy us books. Since we have no staff yet, all work is done in people’s free time. When I am in NY, I will contact Planned Parenthood since I think they support efforts like ours. Our first grant application will likely be to the Global Alliance for Women since we meet most of their criteria.

We have had on again off again alternator problems with our car for the past few months. The dirt roads here are very hard on vehicles. The roads are scheduled to be paved next year and for us this will likely mean more people coming to the pub. I made mojitas last week--I finally figured out where to get mint. I used the recipe my friend Anne and I discovered in CA and it was a big hit—I sold 8 my first night but it took me so long to make them that Joe had to pour the beers. We have a new bartender starting next week.

There is a cowboy undercurrent to the culture here. Last week at the pub, several of our American surfer patrons got drunk and on their way out tried to steal a case of Stella. The bottom fell out of the case and they left a mess in the parking lot. We figured out who they were and I had planned to go to their work site to speak with them. However one of our regulars said: “You don’t have to deal with this—consider me your Black Sheep Security—I love this kind of stuff.” He went down to the Tropicana, our after hours disco bar in the town, began to rough up the wrong guy, got thrown out, and waited outside for the guys. In the meantime our bartender went in to tell the guys that they were being stalked. They managed to get home without a confrontation and the next day they came by, apologized, paid for the beer and cleaned up the mess.

Joe took a road trip last week with our friend Gunter to get the alternator fixed. Our gardener told me Joe looked very happy when he left and he thought it was because Joe was getting off the mountain and driving around like a tourist. Joe never leaves here so if you do visit, make sure Joe gets off the mountain but when you are on the mountain it is hard to leave—I am missing it already.

My next post will be from NYC—it is great I can get interesting temporary jobs and make some good money. Please stay in touch. Hope all are well. Love Helena and Joe

CR Update March 2008

2008-03-31T11:37:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone.
Our new phone number is 88216957. It is the old number with an 8 in front of it. I have discovered SKYPE for making phone calls-Computer to phone for 2 cents per minute from CR to the US—it may be less from US to CR. Through the SKYPE site, you buy $10 worth of credit with Pay-pal. You need a headset with microphone to call from your computer. Please call us if you feel any inclination—we love to hear from our families and friends.

We had a fabulous St. Patrick’s Day party. We had a catering duo, Fritz and Tigre, who did a barbeque kitchen and Guinness stew. They prepared all the food, had their own staff and lowered the stress of party preparation for us. We had a separate station for Irish Car Bombs to take some pressure off the bar, Raspberry Stout and Amber Ale on tap from our microbrewery, and a great group of approx. 150 people—all the tables in the beer garden were occupied. With each party Joe has projects to have finished. The newest structure is an outdoor men’s room. We never know how long we will keep our help so we want to get things done while we can. Fritz and Tigre will be providing food on a regular basis and we are hopeful that all of us will benefit from this arrangement. They had fish and chips this past Friday and Barbeque on Saturday and it was well received.

We will soon set up our women’s group as a NGO (a non-governmental organization.) We had our first woman’s health event last week, it was poorly attended, and we now see what we are up against. Although there are girls getting pregnant in grade school, they don’t see a gynecologist or admit they are sexually active until they are pregnant. There is work we need to do to better understand the culture and why people are not more interested in this subject.

We lost Sophie, our 5 month old kitten. The last day we did target practice (we are still trying to be responsible gun owners) she disappeared. We are concerned the noise of the practice drove her away out but she was here for the firecrackers which were just as loud so we really don’t know.

I am trying to get back to NYC to Beth Israel Hospital where I was last year and I am hopeful that something will come through—send me your good thoughts about this. Joe will soon start social security. I think the pub and guest houses will eventually sustain us but not yet. The pub is becoming known. One of the doctors saw someone with a Black Sheep T-shirt in San Jose. A couple at the party had been at our St. Patrick’s Day party last year and organized their vacation so they could come again this year. And a new friend from Marin County CA told us that he had a Black Sheep beer mat on display at his house and a friend said: “I heard of that place—it’s in Central America, right?” Having the pub puts us in a position to meet everyone in the area and it is a diverse group of mostly Americans, Canadians, Europeans, and Ticos. Weather continues in the 80’s with blue skies and intermittent active winds. Our bougainvilleas with their bright colors are in full bloom and our tropical English is garden coming in. Write back and let us know how you are doing—or call—its cheap with SKYPE. Love, Joe and Helena

2008-02-16T11:48:00.002-06:00

February 15, 2008

We had our first water meeting of the residents of our development—all 7 of us and John. We have been getting free water since we moved here and John is feeling it is time for all to start paying. His terms are quite reasonable and the system for paying is to give John our money when we see him, maybe quarterly. Once we have a group of 50 people we will form an association with by-laws, procedures, and rules but that is a ways off.

We are watching FOX news tracking the primaries. CNN here is international which we liked at first but stories of Asia and India are less interesting to us than US news—there is something strange about hearing about the American primaries from Hong Kong. We do watch Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer on CNN every Sunday morning. On the movie channels, it is fun watching English movies with Spanish subtitles. Joe was actually able to follow a Korean movie with Spanish subtitles. We also have BBC and some German stations.

Our idyllic life continues. The skies are blue, the temperature is in the 80’s, the water is clean, and the air is pure. I sleep 8-9 hours per night and it is usually a deep restful sleep. We do a minimum amount of work which is plenty and have plenty of time to ourselves. I am enjoying my work with my woman’s health project which is slowly coming along. Volunteering at the state medical clinic is also great--I practice Spanish and see people up close. And I did my first psych evaluation yesterday—a referral from the primary care doctors.

Our two year anniversary party was a hit--our turnout was about 150, most of whom we knew. Our cook was a little slow—she insisted on making one hamburger at a time and not starting a second one until the first was finished. We are starting to provide food during pub hours (with a different cook)—we tried shish kabobs last night and it went well. Author John Howells called and he wants Joe to write up the pub for the next update of his book. “Choose Costa Rica.” John likes the pub and he read Joe’s article in Voice of Nosara—Joe has been getting a lot of good feedback about the article—hope you get a chance to read it on the blog.

We sometimes come up against cultural clashes with the local Ticos, like the time our guard (actually it was our gardener working as a guard) left his young children guarding the gate 1 kilometer down the hill during pub hours while he went to work somewhere else. We have a good relationship with our gardener and his wife but every now and then there are things to work through.

You must visit. The tranquility and the grittines are rejuvenating. I just crossed the river in 12 inches o water . I am starting to make inquiries to get back to the US to work—the hours and the money are there, not here. New York, here I come hopefully in May. Write when you can. Love Helena and Joe

January 2008 Update

2008-01-21T12:00:00.000-06:00

January 2008

Our New Years Eve Party was a huge success. We had about 250 people here at one time-party went from 5pm till 4am. Our gardener’s family provided cooking and support. We had enough beer and food and our band was very well liked. The big surprise was that someone had arranged for Disney level fireworks at midnight on the next lot--it was truly amazing. The preparations were stressful as usual—up till that morning we were not able to find bartenders—then builder Bob who made the tables for our beer garden offered his professional bartending skills and saved us. Our brewer had brought the beer from San Jose and was here to help with beer problems and did some bartending. We have a new bartender, Paula, a Costa Rican from San Jose. We like her and she likes us—so far so good. We are now preparing for our Feb.2nd anniversary.

The beer garden is terrific. It gives us shade during the day and it is great to see people there in the evening. . Joe’s ranchito, which he calls his office, is a great space down the hill in the jungle. We had some metal stairs made so we and our friends can get down there safely—it is quite an incline over 20 steps—and it is a very peaceful space.

We continue to have trouble with the car. One evening we were driving back from Nicoya and it died. I flagged down the first car and 2 young Costa Rican women stopped and went home to bring back their brothers. Joe stayed with the brothers who jumpstarted the car with a quad and drove it to a gas station using flashlights to keep the battery draw low. I went with the women to call our mechanic. I expected him to send a tow truck but he came himself—a 45 minute drive. He is a Canadian and he had fixed our alternator the week before and he said “I stand behind my work.” Once I knew he was coming I had a pleasant time with the family drinking wine and talking. Then they drove me to Joe who was now in the gas station and as soon as I got there we saw our mechanic on the road and were able to flag him down. He helped us get home and he lent me his car on and off for over a week while the alternator was sent to San Jose for servicing. With all the car problems and being busy I have not been to the Internet in two weeks.

I started volunteering one morning per week at EBAIS, the state run clinic. I am mainly observing and the staff is very welcoming. Last week I gave a short presentation to the Friends of Nosara about my woman’s health project. This is a local group who has set up a 503c, a way for people in the US to donate money and take it off their taxes. I have to begin the process of setting the group up as a Costa Rican non-governmental organization—then I am fairly hopeful that they will give me money. It is not easy to get things done here.

Joe wrote an article for Voice of Nosara. The Title is: “Against All Reason: Why I moved to Nosara.” It is on the Blog—check it out. We had to pay to have it printed because of the length but it is well written and will serve as an ad for the pub. Please read it and tell us what you think. It is good to hear from everyone.

We are into the dry season and the winds blow strong at times. It is sunny and in the 80’s. The skies are blue and the air is warm and clean. Come and visit. Write when you can—I love to hear how everyone is doing. Happy New Year, Love Helena and Joe

Against All Reason

2008-01-21T11:56:00.000-06:00

Against All Reason: Why I Moved to Nosara
By Joe Wygal

There must be hundreds if not thousands of reasons why so many North Americans and Europeans have settled in the Nosara region. I have often thought that those reasons would provide rich material for volumes of short stories. My reasons for being here are a bit enigmatic, since I am not into surfing, swimming, fishing, or any other outdoor activity. In fact, my feelings toward exercise in general correspond to those of musician/ actor Oscar Levant (1906-1972) when he said:” My idea of exercise is stumbling, and falling into a coma.” I am not even a Sun person. I live for the shade. Back in the States my ideal temperature was 76 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees centigrade). So why would a twit like me persuade his poor wife to give up everything in Boston, pack up, and move permanently to Nosara?

Part of the reason dates back to 1989 when Helena (my wife) and I made our first trip to Costa Rica. We fell in love with the country. Those were the final days when Costa Rica was still sort of a secret among travelers. Besides the pervasive beauty of the country, back then it was largely unspoiled, inexpensive, and even the Imperial tasted better.

Back in the 90’s Helena and I did quite a bit of traveling. Whenever we were uncertain of where to go, Costa Rica was always our back-up plan. During one of those trips, in 2000, I met a couple in San Jose who had bought property years previously in a place called Nosara. They were in the process of the big move and they seemed ecstatic. I filed away the name of the place, did some research, and resolved to visit Nosara on our next trip. Shortly afterwards there occurred the second impetus for our big move: the presidential election of 2000, after which I started to seriously consider moving out of the country. So by the time we finally arrived in Nosara in 2002, we were considering buying property. For some reason at the last moment I changed our accommodations from one hotel to another: John Fraser’s Hotel Playa Nosara. It was there that while I standing on top of the rotunda (which has to have one of the best views in the area,) I had a moment of epiphany. Surrounded by this beautiful vista, I suddenly realized why I wanted to move to Nosara: It was here that I could realize a dream that I probably couldn’t do anywhere else: to build a European pub on a commercial or semi-commercial basis.

My passion for pubs and the pub culture goes back 25 years. Back then I was going out with a German girl named Trudi, whom I met at a pub/bar in Cambridge, MA. Trudi was responsible for my first trip to Europe which covered parts of England, Belgium, the German Rhineland, and the Netherlands. It was there and then that my enthusiasm for pubs started, whether it was drinking a pint of ale in a pub in London or Oxford or drinking a small glass of Kolsh in Cologne. Trudi also started me on my collection of European beer mats or deckals (coasters). It wasn’t until a decade later that my interest in pubs moved to another level. Helena and I bought a house in Somerville (next to Cambridge MA). The house was so large that we eventually decided to make it a Bed and Breakfast. However the primary reason for buying the house was that the finished basement lent itself to being a pub. This room eventually became the European pub and had cellar doors which opened up to a patio which led to the garage which eventually became the British Ale House. The idea behind two pubs was to be able to pub crawl without leaving the premises. This led us to having quite a few parties, as a result of which I got to know personally certain members of the Somerville police department. At this time I also became involved in a beer group who would put on a Real Ale festival every year. I became acquainted with beer brewers and enthusiasts from all over Europe and the United States as well as local beer groups. Our parties became renowned throughout the area because we had beer on tap that was not available anywhere else. After a while, I began to feel that it was time to move this hobby to another level though I was not sure what that would be. I did sense that this would not be possible in the Boston area.

By the time we were looking for property in Nosara we initially had in mind building the pub on our own premises. After seeing different properties in Pelada and Guiones we finally decided on a lot in John Fraser’s finca in a mountain across the Nosara River. For a while, I seriously considered having the pub in the village of Nosara. However after moving here I eventually reverted to the idea of having it on our home lot and to run it as a club with free membership. I designed the exterior of the building in a country pub mode with half-timbering. The pub would have two rooms, the first of which would be a British room complete with a English style bar. The second room would be “the Continental European Room” with German style long tables and paraphernalia from such countries as Germany, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. As for the name of the pub, “Black Sheep” appealed to me because of the uniqueness of the place in the area and also struck a chord with me concerning my personal family history. I was surprised to find how many of our patrons identified with the name as well.

From the very beginning my target market was the American and European community in the area. At first, most of the people who frequented the bar, thanks to Gunter, were German speaking. Then as word slowly spread we gradually began to have more and more Americans frequenting the place. In the first few months it seemed that the majority of our patrons were over the age of 35 and the usual closing time was 10pm. I had always hoped for more diversity in ages as well as backgrounds. Then on one eventful evening after 10pm, when our bartender had already left, car after car began arriving in the parking lot. Out of the cars came Matt and Joellen of “Blew Dogs” followed by the younger surfer element of the American Beach Project. From this core group came “the Usual Suspects” and others of our beloved regulars. Besides this group of young gringos we also became acquainted with a young and lively group of Ticos from San Jose who were the most enthusiastic, yet well behaved, group of partiers I have ever seen.

We noticed that such events as our New Years Eve party, our 1st Anniversary party, and our St. Patrick’s Day celebration attracted more and more people. From the beginning, I had wondered if a European pub would catch on in tropical Nosara, but at the first of these events, when I could no longer see the bar due to the thirsty mob in the British room, I began to realize that my dream was coming true. A year later at our 2nd New Years Eve party, with over 200 people mulling around, with a long line forming outside the pub, with young girls wearing high heels and fashionable sexy outfits that would seem more appropriate at the Hotel Harmony, with all assortments of drinker types, with fireworks suddenly cascading over the pub, with the sound of different languages and accents ringing in my ears, I shook my head, shut my eyes, and thought “But it was only a hobby—what went wrong?”

Perhaps it is time for another step: a more commercial, upscale place in an urban setting; but that is in the future. Right now we are busy preparing for our 2nd anniversary party on February 2nd and of course Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17th.

Happy Holidays 2007

2007-12-17T11:27:00.000-06:00

December 2007 CR update

Everyone has heard the saying that misfortunes come in threes. This month we have survived Joe being bit by a feral cat, our favorite dog being bit by a rattlesnake, and our only car being in an accident so we were without a car for a week.

Joe had to have 3 rounds of different antibiotics for his leg including a series of shots. Maurizio did home visits and made follow-up phone calls. Still, it was quite the nasty bite and on my next trip to the states, I am going to learn all I can about wound care. I wrote up the story about Frieda being bit by the rattlesnake for the Voice of Nosara. It is also on this blog—the next entry. We are grateful for everyone’s quick action which saved Frieda. The accident was truly an accident. We were driving to Nicoya on a paved road on a day with intermittent showers. It was the first rain after 11 dry days, causing the oils to rise from the roads creating slippery conditions. We had just skidded and were going very slowly down a winding road toward a narrow bridge. We skidded again—the car swerved around in a circle, went over the embankment and landed on its side. We were unhurt, but the car cost $800 to fix. As time goes on we realize how lucky we were.

Despite all this, it is great to be back. I continue to love the natural beauty here—my first few days, I could feel the waves of tranquility coming over me as I readjusted. It is great to wear summer clothes all the time, to do yoga, swim, read every day, to take showers outside, and to have all the time you want for yourself.

The pub is open, slow at times, but one night we had over 50 people. I was able to handle the bar with Joe helping. My bartending skills have improved but I decided I am more comfortable with actually measuring drinks than pouring visually or by count. I think with time I will get better and we are looking for a professional bartender.

I started teaching my Breathwork class at the Yoga Institute and I put an ad in the paper for my nursing and counseling skills. I started my Spanish lessons and am trying to get my woman’s health group together. My Sun magazine subscription, from San Francisco, has finally begun. And I plan to volunteer once/week at the local medical clinic.

The garden is beautiful. Our beer garden is being built now on top of our terrace. Besides adding 600 square feet of living space, it fills out the property nicely. We also had a ranchito built on the back slope of our property. A ranchito is a pyramid shaped straw structure and it is an incredibly relaxing experience to lie in a hammock in the jungle under the ranchito.

We will be busy the next month building up to New Years. Now that we have over a year of business, I can see that this time last year it was slow and at New Years we had a surge, then we had another surge for our anniversary in early Feb, and then another for St. Patrick’s Day—each party getting bigger and better. I am hoping we will have the same rhythm and success this year. Write when you can. Stay in touch. Joe and Helena

Frieda Lives

2007-12-17T11:22:00.000-06:00

Freida Lives….by Helena Greaney Wygal

Joe had met me in San Jose on my return from NY so we could renew our driver’s licensees and do some shopping. We were riding in the back of a cab when we got the call from Ty Kennedy. “Your dog was bitten by a rattlesnake. We are at the vet in Nicoya now. She has just been given anti-venom.”
Joe asks loudly with concern “which dog, what happened”
“The black and white one”
Joe is barely able to talk. “Frieda.” He groans.

Three weeks before, while I was still in the States, Joe was bitten on his leg by a feral cat. The wound became infected and he was isolated on the mountain, the roads impassible due to the heavy rains. Fernando Briones, and his wife Jessenia, stayed with Joe to take care of his wound and help him so he could stay off his feet. During this time, Joe became attached to Frieda, who is a loving and responsive dog. She sleeps nestled in our bed, comes when called, and is always happy and enthusiastic to see him—unconditional love, Joe calls it.

A large rattlesnake—3 feet long, we saw it after it had been killed-came into our parking lot. Frieda began playing with it and just after Ty had left our property, Fernando saw the snake bite Frieda. He immediately called Ty who called Dr. Delgado, our veterinarian, in Nicoya. Dr, Delgado told Ty that he had 2 hours to bring the dog to Nicoya so Frieda could be given the anti-venom—there was no anti-venom to be found in Nosara. . During the treacherous ride on the muddy, potholed roads to Nicoya, normally a 2 hour ride—Ty driving frantically with Frieda on Fernando’s lap did it in 1 ½. During this time Frieda’s face had swollen and she had become cold. Dr. Delgado kept his office open for Frieda. He had the medicines and IV’s ready, began treatment immediately and stayed up all night administering the anti-venom. Because of her small size and the extent of her facial swelling, Dr. Delgado was concerned and said she had a 50-50 chance of survival and we would know within 12 hours.

The next day we heard the good news that Frieda would live. And Joe said: “Now I can get back to worrying about my leg.” When we picked up Frieda two days later, she was anxious and tremulous but by the time we got her home she was her usual dog-self, playing with our new kitten, eating and sleeping with no sign of what she had been through or knowledge of how much she means to us. We thank Ty, Fernando, and Dr. Delgado for their quick thinking and life-saving actions—Frieda would thank them too if she could.

November 2007- NYC to CR

2007-11-12T10:44:00.000-06:00

November 2007

I am leaving in a few hours. Sorry I did not get to say goodbye to everyone but I expect I will be back to NYC next year. I wrote a song which got me through the last few weeks. Here it is:

NY to CR Nov 2007- My song—the tune is like a lament, I think.

There‘s a chill in the air but I don’t care--I’m going home
To mi esposo y mis gatos y mis perros
I’ve been away too long and it is wrong but we need the money
And soon I will be in Costa Rica with my honey

We lived in Massachusetts --we had a ball
Then we moved to Costa Rica to have it all
We have a house and a pub and a million dollar view
And almost enough money to make the dream come true

But for now I have to work in New York City
People are great but the air’s stale and gritty
Lots to do everywhere you turn
And everyone seems to have money to burn

But soon I’ll be back on my mountain
Where happiness bubbles up like a fountain
All of creation is in our view
A place to be, with little you have to do

So as winter comes I pack to leave New York City
Heading south where it’s warm and pretty
Its time to be back with my honey
And for now we have enough money

Joe was bit by a feral cat in our yard in Nosara and has a nasty wound. A bad rainy season with roads and bridges washing out added to the complications. He was finally able to go the doctors, was prescribed antibiotics, codeine, and a diuretic. Our gardener and his wife stayed with Joe for 3 weeks-- his leg is improving and I am back soon.

The good news is that we have ale. Our new brewer, we hope, Gabriel, made us an amber ale. We call it “Red Paw Amber” named after the red dust that the dogs track everywhere. The ale was quite good, Joe said, but there is little business now because of the rain. In November, the rains stop, the skies are clear blue, the roads are good and planeloads of visitors come. Going from a city with super-infrastructure to a remote area with little infrastructure will be an adjustment—an adjustment I am looking forward to.
Write, stay in touch, Love Helena (and Joe)

October 10, 2007

2007-10-10T15:01:00.000-06:00

Joe is back in Nosara. We had looked forward to our visit to the States for a long time and it was great to see everyone. I will be in NY another 5 weeks. My sister Mary just visited with her family and over the next month, my friend Anne from CA and my friend Lorae from MA, are coming this way. Time continues to pass quickly and before long I will be home—Joe had Trinka put to sleep but we now have a kitten named Sophie who plays with the dogs when they are not mothering her. Joes’s life in Nosara continues to be challenging. When he returned, the rains were coming down with full force, he had no water for 4 days, we lost another microwave to the electrical fluctuations, and his direct TV was out for several days. But he persevered as usual.

The pub reopened and the first crisis is that we cannot get draft beer for 3 months because the brewery is moving. Then the bridge to Nicoya collapsed and after four weeks a new bridge was obtained from US army surplus. Getting beer was not easy. We have a new bartender, Courtney, who Joe tells me is very good,and for the rainy season, we will only be open on Saturdays and maybe on request. During the high season we are hoping to be open 4 eves.

NY is great---all I could want in a city. I am now sharing an apt with a Turkish woman who has a jewelry store in Greenwich Village—she is terrific—and I am on the first floor—my last place was a four floor walkup which was a bit of a hardship. I am fortunate that I can find these short assignments, make money---and live in an amazing city. It is likely I will be back next summer.

Joe loved NY and by next year, when I expect to return, I will know the good places better. Our favorite place so far is a bar named dba in the east village—over 30 beers on tap, scotch, etc. We also like the Astoria beer hall—the last surviving authentic beer hall in the area—it has inspired us to have a roof built on top of our terrace so we can have a beer garden--this will be finished by the time I come back.

So I look forward to seeing our new beer garden, our new kitten and to seeing Joe. Consider beautiful Nosara in your winter travel plans. We would love to see everybody and the pub is great. Joe gave me new pictures which I posted to http://www.snapfish.com/ email HGreaney@gmail.com and password: trink

Love, Joe and Helena

2007-07-06T13:15:00.000-06:00

This is our property from the mountain on the other side.

2007-07-06T13:12:00.000-06:00

July 6, 2007

2007-07-06T13:05:00.000-06:00

July 6, 2007

Hi Everybody:

I am more than halfway through my contract and the time is flying by. Joe is preparing for his visit in late July. Our itinerary is taking shape. He is coming in on July 24th. We fly to Rochester on the 25th and will spend 8 days there, then rent a car and drive to Brattleboro for 2 days (July 31st and Aug 1st), one day in Beverly (August 2nd) with Bill and Robin, then two days in Boston August 3rd and 4th with Jack and Margaret and as many of our friends as we can visit—we will probably go to some central places and hope people can stop by and see us, and spend the last day in CT (August 5th) with my family. Then back to Rochester to return the car and on to NYC for 2 days. Our gardener will stay and watch the house so Joe is comfortable leaving it for 18 days. I will stay in NY a bit longer to work and Joe will go back after having a wonderful visit. In Nosara, Joe is having a great time getting food going at the pub. The menu so far is: Andy’s famous beer battered fish and chip platter, and 1-2 German dishes. It sounds great and like all Joe’s ideas concerning the pub so far, the food is a big hit.

Here in NY, I am learning about fundraising. As I have told everyone, Nosara has tremendous needs for all kinds of services. I have been going to the Foundation Center, a library for philanthropy, fundraising and non profit management. It is an interesting place, I am learning a lot and hopefully I will be able to apply some of my new knowledge. I look forward to coming back to Nosara and reconnecting with everyone.

Life in NY is good. I can get around easily on the subway and I go around the city regularly. By now I have visited most of the neighborhoods and many places. Last month I went to Gaetana’s, Tedi’s friend’s bar in the village and I had lunch the other day with my friend Lousia from Nosara—a place in the East Village called “A Lovely Day.” I have a new Baba friend, Viola, a dancer who lives up the street from me. Anne’s daughter Laura stayed with me for a few days in May and I went to my cousin’s birthday party in June. I paid big money to see “A Chorus Line” on Broadway which was excellent and I look forward to some of the free events taking place over the summer. I see my brother and sister and their kids in CT fairly often which is great. I find people in NY very friendly but busy. My apt is great—too bad the regular tenants are coming back and I will have to find another place the end of August. I think my friend Anne will be visiting her daughter in Sept and I plan to go for a visit up to Boston in Sept or Oct to see my friends for a longer visit. Please send me an email or call--my phone and email are at the top of the title page. Joe and I look forward to seeing each other and our family and friends in the northeast within the next month---we hope everyone is doing well…xxxooo Joe and Helena

May 11, 2007

2007-05-11T07:33:00.000-06:00

Update May 11, 2007

Hi everybody,
I am in New York, living in Astoria, which is a 20 minute subway ride to work, though with the walking and waiting it takes about 50 minutes door to door. I share an apt with a 26 year old Turkish graduate student in anthropology at Columbia. He is subletting the end of May to a young German banker, who is also very nice. It is great to be in NY though it is noisy—my brother gave me some industrial headphones so I could sleep. My job is OK- I am on a chemical dependency unit in Manhattan. I had stayed with my friends from Nosara, Bill and Nancy Kanz on the north fork of Long Island (two hours from here) for a few days when I first came here. They were so helpful in helping me figure out where to live and actually came with me to the interview. It is very spring like here–not tropical Nosara. There is so much to do. And I love having free wireless Internet in my apt.

The pub is doing well though there have been some recent stressful events. Joe had a Cinco de Mayo party and it is a miracle we did not lose money- outwardly the party was a success and people had a good time. Because of the general chaos, disorganization, and things being stirred up, we now have two guards—one to check people at the gate as they come in and one to make sure that when people leave our property that they actually leave through the gate they came in. Some of the young group had had a birthday party the week before with 100 people attending. It was less stressful and we made more money than for the big party. Also, after the birthday party, Joe went to the Tropicana — the divey all-night club in downtown Nosara—his first time and it being a small town, word got around that the Black Sheep was at the Tropicana—it is so funny here sometimes. As far as the pub goes, we are hoping to introduce food soon. With any luck, we will be able to pay for the two guards and the Cinco de Mayo party will be a benign event in the pub-club’s history.

I finally saw my family in CT after two years. One nephew is 2, the other is 10 and both are beautiful. My sister and brothers are also doing well but no plans to visit us in Costa Rica yet. Mary is concerned that we have a gun and the rural police do not have a phone—only a pay phone. Our guest houses are ready and it is not dangerous here—just no infrastructure, and you are in the midst of natural beauty, clean pure air, and the warm Pacific Ocean is in view just 3 miles away.

We are still aiming for Joe to visit late July. He will stay here in NY for a few days then we will go up to Rochester, over to Brattleboro, Beverly, the Boston area, CT, and then back to NY. Joe will go back to CR and I may stay another 3 months—this is still undecided. As my tax person says, America is a good place to make money. Hope everyone still remembers us and will be around during our visit—we can’t wait to see you!! Call or email if you can. Our current phone numbers are on top of the blog. Love Joe and Helena

CR Update April 2007

2007-04-16T07:05:00.000-06:00

CR Update April 2007.

Hi everybody
I will be working day shift on a Adult/Geriatric Psych unit at Beth Israel Hospital in the lower east side of Manhattan (1st avenue and 16th street). My first task is to find a place to stay. I am looking for a shared situation under $1000/month so if anyone has any ideas, let me know. My contract is from April 23rd till July 23rd and the plan is for Joe to join me on July 23rd so we can visit our families and friends in the northeast. (I will do some preliminary visiting also and people may want to visit me in NY.) There are still logistics to work out but it seems doable. I am fortunate to stay with Bill and Nancy Kanz, friends from Nosara who live on Long Island, while I get settled.

Joe, of course, would prefer I was in Nosara but there is structure in place for the pub and he is doing well. There are thoughts and beginning plans to start serving food-i.e. fish and chips on Friday. Our friend Andy is a cook and he may be coming back to Nosara for a while to give this a try. Andy also brews so we may finally get our ale. Melissa is our regular bartender and does a good job.

We have some new friends who are staying in our guest house—Dian and Kenny and their kids from San Jose-he is Tico, she is part Tico and part American. They are moving here to start up a security company which is like a private police force. Right now most of their contracts are in the American beach project. We hire one of their guards for pub nights and we like knowing a security professional has greeted people and checked their membership cards before letting them through the gate. The local police, called the rural guard, are not armed, do not have a telephone—only a pay phone outside the office, and do not have much authority. Dian is a great resource for my women’s health group. She knows the system, the language and culture, her mother lives in San Jose and is active in a local humanitarian group. Our group plans to intervene with the young girls to provide education about choices. As one of our members said “they need a YWCA here”—I am continuing to talk with the Peace Corps about getting a volunteer. And there will be fundraising. I spoke with the doctors about getting psychotherapy and counseling referrals and they were encouraging so once I get to NY I will be planning my next chapter in Nosara.

Hopefully for my next post I will have a place to live and will have started my job. Feel free to visit Joe any time. We had rain this past week and the blue skies now have rolling clouds; the other day we had a rainbow where we could see both sides of the arc coming up from the earth. The ocean is warm with regular waves—I went out on my boogie board last week and had a wonderful time.
Stay in touch. Love Joe and Helena

CR Update 2007

2007-03-30T14:32:00.000-06:00

March 2007

Hi everyone. I am planning my 3 month job-trip back to the states which will depend on where I find a job. There are several possibilities but nothing certain. NY is still my first choice and I have a temporary place to stay on Long Island while I get situated. There is nothing in Boston (I have asked) and so far nothing in NY--going back to San Leandro, CA may be a possibility. It is all timing.

Here in Nosara, we just had our St Patrick’s Day party which surpassed previous parties—200 people. It lasted from 5pm to 2am. We ran out of food, (not beer this time) the band was very good and at midnight three French guys and a real estate agent began playing their drums and people danced and it rocked for over an hour. Joe called it a pagan ritual. Last St. Patrick’s Day our core group was the Europeans and we only had 13 patrons—so far the growth of the pub has been exponential. Our friend Andy, the taxi driver who went to MIT, showed up with minimal notice and was our cook which helped Joe refrain from going completely over the edge with stress from the party preparations. We were in between phone numbers when Andy contacted us, my blog had disappeared from cyberspace and it is a miracle he found his way here.

We have a new phone number. We had to give back our borrowed cell phone and after much searching we bought another cell phone line. It is still in someone else’s name but he signed an agreement to sell it to us. We do not have land lines because we are in a private community with a private road and our developer has applied to purchase the lines. Our other infrastructure adventure was declaring our property so we can pay taxes. We were able to fill out the paperwork correctly, we think, and next year we will start paying property taxes.

We are still leaning toward selling the Galloper and putting the money toward an ATV. We got an estimate to have it fixed but it seems like there is always something needing fixing. Our other car, the Pathfinder, is so far doing well. Our cats and dogs are fine. Ainsley left for 3 days and Joe was beside himself preparing himself for the worst. At 5 am we heard the scratching on the door and there was Ainsley.

My woman’s health group is coming along. We are doing a health survey, planning a career day for the girls of Nosara, and planning for a monthly visit from a gynecologist. It is a volunteer group so the attendance is sporadic which makes it hard to progress. With more Ticas attending, my Spanish is improving. My overall goal is to do some fundraising and write the grant proposal and we will. These projects are the building blocks and will make it easier to get money to develop some programs.

And where is my blog. It disappeared. No record of it anywhere, Buck Shaw says. I am hoping it is a Google problem and it will be fixed. In the meantime I am starting a new blog. I write to google regularly to find my old blog but no luck. Anyway, it is still beautiful here, fresh air, good water, being outside all the time and swimming daily. The good life is a wonderful thing. Write back when you can. Love Joe and Helena

Feb 2007

2007-02-27T12:48:00.000-06:00

We had a big crowd, about 150 people, on February 3rd--our one year anniversary of the Black Sheep—we grossed over $1000 which was a big thrill and we are learning a lot. We had two bartenders and a Cajun cook. We were out of all our draft beer at 9:30 and our back-ups were not cold. We ran out of food —only a handful of people brought side dishes so we will be charging next time. Our next party will be Saint Patrick’s Day. Corned beef and cabbage for $2/plate, Irish car bombs, and maybe some Irish cocktails—let me know if you know of any.

Our Galloper is not drivable. We are looking into either getting it fixed or selling it and getting a quad. These are the all terrain vehicles that most people who live here eventually get. I rode on the back of one the other day and it seemed fine. My friend Eileen is visiting for two months from Kansas—she just left to go traveling but she will be back. She is in our best guest room and Jim, who has been living in Nosara for years, is occupying the other. Our 3rd guest house needs work but we do have people staying there also on a one night basis.

I am beginning the process of getting back to the states to make money. I am aiming for New York City for April so I can see my family and friends in the northeast. My nephew, James is almost 2 and I have not seen him yet. So, send me good vibes so I land a job and a place to stay in NYC. If NY does not work out, I will try to go back to CA. It is very difficult going back and forth. But for now it is necessary.

The weather continues warm and dry. This is the best season. The skies are blue, the clouds are white and the breezes are warm. We love our year round garden and outdoor kitchen. I am still working on my Spanish. My main problem now seems to be my pronunciation—people don’t understand me. I think my woman’s health fundraising group may help since it will eventually be in Spanish as well as English and I think the content of the group may keep me motivated.

We had an article in the Voice of Nosara on the Black Sheep Pub (I wrote it). I will try to put it on the blog—the pics were great and I will try to send them. The Black Sheep Pub is one of a kind in Costa Rica—we are the vanguard --Joe is toying with the idea of a Black Sheep franchise!!

Write back. Stay in touch. Love, Joe and Helena

Jan 2007

2007-01-30T14:25:00.000-06:00

January 2007

The Black Sheep Pub will be one year old on February 3rd and we are having a big party. For New Years Eve we had over 100 people, 2 busy bartenders, and 3 cooks—we were told that the Black Sheep was the place to be. Over the past few weeks we had the Nosara tennis group, a horse choreography group, realtors and their families, the doctors and their friends from San Jose, students from Middlebury College, and the other night we had 4 vibrant girls in their 20’s from Argentina. Our most famous client this month was a young man who had the same last name as the president (Arias)—it turned out his father is the president’s cousin—he came with some young professionals from San Jose specifically to come to our pub. Our membership roster in Nosara is over 150. People are coming steadily all evening, most in their own groups, but this being a small town, it feels more like a party then being at a bar. We have a great bartender, Melissa, who lives in the American Beach project, knows a lot of people, and makes great Cosmos. We now have Poker night on Thursdays—4-12 people play poker for several hours and come and get beer from time to time. When we go down to the town or the American beach projects many people know us from the pub. We were not known in this way in Boston at all. It is great to have a social life come to us and we are meeting some great people.

My woman’s group is congealing. We have had two meetings and are beginning to conduct a survey of the woman’s health needs in the area. We are applying for grant money; we are connecting with the Peace Corps to request volunteers and will likely start local fundraising. The town of Nosara is quite disenfranchised and needs everything. I continue to teach my breathwork classes at the Nosara Yoga Institute and I had my first private client come to my house last week. . I am looking forward to seeing my friend Samvedam who is coming to the Yoga Institute mid-February with participants from the Boston area to facilitate a retreat. Her information is at www.innerartsinstitute.com

Our mailbox works. Mark and Jenny sent us a DVD from the UK—“Dinner for One”—this is the famous film that Germans watch on New Years Eve about a butler who gets progressively drunker as he waits on 4 imaginary guests. They also sent us a “Black Sheep Brewery” bar towel. Our address is Apdo 164-5233, Nosara, Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Send us small things, i.e. CD’s, DVD’s if you feel inspired.

We met a woman in Nicoya from Cambridge who recognized Joe’s “People’s Republic of Cambridge’ T-shirt. It turns out she organizes woman’s empowerment workshops world-wide and my group may use some of her ideas. Go to www.thattakesovaries.org for more information.

Our garden looks great—it helps to have a regular gardener. The weather is warm and dry and the sky is a beautiful shade of blue with white clouds. The breezes are fabulous though sometimes the winds are too strong. The roads are great. This is the high season when most of the tourists come. The weather is great till around April when it gets too hot but we do have our pool. Stay in touch. Love Helena and Joe

Christmas 2006

2006-12-27T19:38:00.000-06:00

CR Update Christmas 2006

I am now packing for my trip back to Nosara. I will bring back a ceiling fan which I was not able to fit last time, bottles of ale and Tequila, bullets which are referred to as “rounds” and a new projector since Ainsley knocked our projector off the table and broke it. I have information on my next possible job locations and also leads on finding grant money so I can do mental health work in Nosara.

I was fortunate to attend a few Xmas parties; the best part of having a job and friends here. I will be off to CR Dec 29th on an overnight flight where I will be in Nosara the next afternoon. Then, the next day, we have our first New Years Eve party in Nosara. Last New Year’s Eve, we drove around with Mark and Jenny, friends from the UK whom we met in Nicaragua, stopping at different parties—this year we look forward to being a host destination and we are hoping for a great party!! My friend Anne from CA and I decided we will toast each other at 10pm CA time which will be midnight in CR. Our family and friends in the northeast should toast us at 1:00 am, if you can remember. I cannot calculate the time for our friends in the UK and Europe but please think of us wherever you are.

Joe is doing GREAT with the pub. It doesn’t always feel great--recently people had so much fun that they started throwing each other in the pool. Joe got thrown in, his phone was in his pocket so it was destroyed--he was compensated for the phone and has established two new rules: No throwing people in the pool and last call will be at 1:30. I think we will have to do a quick sweep before the last person leaves—a couple of weeks ago when Joe went to turn off the lights he found a customer asleep. He put him in one of the guesthouses for the night. It looks like there will be a regular poker group coming up also so we may open another night for them. We may have a new bartender—it continues to be difficult to know when there is enough business to hire someone. We are still new and have to get our routine down.

Our new tenant Jim is teaching Frieda (one of our doggies) how to swim. I hear she is doing well. Her sister, Nina, is not interested--she has a crush on Ainsley the cat and she lovingly follows him around--it is a scream. The doggies continue to be destructive-they are one year old- last week they dug up and broke another water pipe!!

Joe tells me the weather is great--Warm, windy, beautiful. Come visit—you must want to come somewhere warm. I have a boogie board you can use and I am friends with some of the surf instructors. Take care and hope to see you in Jan, Feb or March.
Love, Joe and Helena

Thanksgiving 2006

2006-11-23T21:42:00.000-06:00

CR Update- Thanksgiving 2006
I am still in the Bay area halfway through my assignment. This is a great area and I have several friends here. I went up to the wine country the other day and I look forward to going again tomorrow to join my friend Anne and her friends for their annual four day Thanksgiving weekend.

Joe is in Nosara keeping the pub going. He had 20 people the other night and did well despite being up till 2am. He wants to hire a bartender but it is hard to predict how to hire staff since the peaks don’t follow a particular pattern. Please go to http://www.bbeoj.com/index.php/2006/08/09/pura-vida-caballos/ the blog of a group who visited us on a horseback tour when they were on vacation a few months ago—we thank them for their very flattering write-up of the Black Sheep Pub and for sharing their blog with us.

I am planning my next travel nurse job, likely to be in the northeast in April. The travel jobs now seem to be everywhere but CA. I am hoping to go to NY or CT. We are aiming for Joe to come to the states around the time of my next travel job—he will have been in CR two years so he will have big culture shock.

I am investigating grant opportunities to finance a mental health care program in Nosara—there is a big need, there is money available-- I have to learn how to apply for grants. If anyone can help me please let me know. I wrote an article on the local health care system in Nosara for the Nosara local paper and I will be sending them an article on either breathwork or yoga for the next issue-- I resume teaching Breathwork at the Yoga center in January.

Costa Rica is beautiful but being so close to nature can be scary. When I called Joe the other morning, he said “Brace Yourself”. He then told me that the wind was so bad the night before that it blew the roof off the house –an act of god, he said. John sent workers to fix it and Joe held out OK. He was without electricity for 40 hours. We are in the wilderness. I look forward to going home for New Years, having our first New Years Eve party and back to swimming every day. Please visit. Stay in touch. The roof is almost fixed. Love Helena and Joe

CR Update Oct 3, 2006

2006-10-03T13:42:00.000-06:00

CR update Oct 3, 2006
HI everybody.

I got my contract to return to San Leandro. The hospital where I will work is fairly chaotic organizationally but once I agreed to stay thorough Xmas, the doors opened.. Joe will be here alone, secure in the knowledge that there will be money to pay off the bills. I will be back December 30th and I imagine we will have a New Years party.

We now have a gun-a 9 mm Ruger. We never thought we would own guns but there have been several recent break-ins, and many people who live here have guns. Now we begin the work of using it. I like hitting the target but pulling back the slide is more difficult than it looks and I wear earplugs because of the noise. I am definitely not ready to face an intruder.

We had our Oktoberfest party this past weekend—Joe called it German Day since Oktoberfest is a Bavarian holiday and the Germans here are from other parts of the country. We had traditional German food—many people brought food for the grill and food to share. We had a bartender from Berlin, a German movie on our outdoor theater and a turnout of about 80 people—a diverse group—. It was a great party and we are thrilled so many different kinds of people came.

We are busy now organizing everything for my trip to San Leandro and for Joe to be here alone. I posted a few new pictures. Please go to www.snapfish.com. Email address is hgreaney@gmail.com. Password is trink. Notice our new white Pathfinder, our outdoor kitchen, our outdoor theater, progress on the gardens, and of course our puppies who are 9 months old. I am hoping some people will send me some pictures of the action of the pub so I can post them too. My first phone number in San Francisco is at my cousin Breda’s at 415-566-6113. Joe’s is 011-506-849-9010 and you sometimes have to try several times to get through. Please stay in touch, Love Helena and Joe

CR Update Sept 4, 2006

2006-09-05T16:07:00.000-06:00

CR Update September 4, 2006

Hi everybody.

After waiting for 1-½ years we now have a local post office box. Our address is
Apdo 164-5233, Nosara, Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Write us. Send us pictures and copies of CD’s of music—anything you think we would like. Packages get held up in customs but compact discs (not in jewel cases) and photographs seem to make it through. Unfortunately, we will not be able to come to the northeast this fall, as we had hoped, so this can be another way we can stay in touch.

The pub-club continues to be a lot of fun. In addition to our regular weekend hours, we now open on request for groups of 6 or more. This past month, we had a horseback riding group, birthday parties, farewell parties and some late night groups. We are up to 105 members and we are getting a wide mix of people. The under 35 crowd are almost regulars, we hope— they are energetic and fun—one guy swam 2 laps naked just before he left. Irish car bombs are a popular drink. Joe’s Bloody Marys are also popular. I am now the main bartender. We will need a second person during the high season but for now, I can handle it, I enjoy it, and I get good tips.

We had a recent celebrity guest at the Pub, actor/director Tim Robbins. At the moment he entered and introduced himself to me as “Tim”, Joe came into the room and said “Mr. Robbins, this is a pleasure”. He looks like he does in the movies and he sat at the bar in a friendly relaxed manner. He may buy property in Nosara and we hear that his wife/long time companion, Susan Sarandon, will also be visiting soon. Coincidently, people were asking about the Rocky Horror Picture show, one of her early movies, which we had recently shown in our outdoor theatre.

I am teaching breathwork classes once/week at the yoga center. Attendance is low 1-4 people each time, but this is a way for people to get to know me and I am slowly building a practice. I have flyers at the pub and some club members have come to my classes. The Yoga institute is world-renowned and as a teacher I can take free classes. Generally I take one Yoga class per week.

I am working on arranging a nurse contract in San Leandro, where I was last Spring, for Oct Nov. There is work at Saint Vincent’s in NY but it takes 8-10 weeks to get a NY license—I will work on getting one for next time because I think 3 months in NY would be great. Here in CR, we continue to upgrade our paradise. The guesthouses are livable—some minor plumbing is still needed. Wait until you see the gardens!! With two regular gardeners and Joe’s direction, the gardens get better every week.

Hopefully my next post will be from the Bay area—please send your good thoughts that this contract comes through. As always, people should visit Joe if you are inclined. It is the rainy season where the roads are challenging but the clouds and the sounds of the rain are beautiful. Take care, Love Helena (and Joe)

2006-08-10T11:44:00.000-06:00

CR Update Aug 10, 2006

Hi everybody
It appears that we now have a regular housecleaner, a regular gardener, a regular painter and our friend Ty to continue with construction projects. We hope that having the help we need will continue. John, our builder, is busy building the longest canopy in Costa Rica. He is installing cables through the tree-tops in our gated community; participants are harnessed to the cable and zip along at high speeds and high altitudes. We are told it will go from our area in the mountain to John’s project in town. John assures us that there is nothing to be afraid of but I don’t think either me nor Joe will be trying it—at least not for a while.

We sold our Geo-tracker because it was not suitable for our terrible roads. We bought a 1994 Pathfinder in mint condition. We will continue to drive the Galloper since it is good on gas and perfect for these roads but it is great to have a comfortable car with working air conditioning.

Now for some not so good news. When we were in San Jose to buy the Pathfinder I was robbed. I was distracted at the computer in the hotel and the thief ran off with my backpack. I ran after him as he jumped into a cab which was waiting for him. I got the license number, not that it mattered since this kind of theft is rampant here, and the police are fairly ineffective. The hotel took responsibility for their lapse in security—the guy should never have gotten past the door much less into the computer lobby—and they gave me some compensation. We had to get new passports and working on replacing various other things including credit cards, my MA and CA nursing licenses, my MA drivers license, my Costa Rica drivers license, my Costa Rica residency card, my address book and $300 in cash.

The pub is going well. We have a regular bartender, Sarah, Fri and Sat when we have most of our business. Joe and I hang out and talk to people and there is a fair amount of preparatory work during the week. We have begun opening for groups on request during the week—the other night we had a horseback tour and the day before that a couple from Arizona and their friends. My breathwork classes at the Yoga center continue—slow but steadily building. I am interested in becoming more involved with their organization if there are opportunities. Also, my pharmacist friend may be starting a detox. I expect that with time I will be busy. For now it is “muy tranquilo” and every minute is slow and enjoyable—and I love swimming every day.

We are still planning to visit the northeast in the fall and I plan to work in CA for Oct and Nov. I have to wait for my credit cards to be replaced to buy tickets. I’m sure it will all work out; however right now it is quite annoying.

However, I still get satisfaction from watching the weather and the changing scenery: the shades of grey and blue of the sky, the shades of green of the mountains, and the multi-colored clouds moving through. There is great material for visual arts here.

Come visit and watch your belongings. Everyone gets robbed here so I am in good company. Love Joe and Helena

.

CR Update July 11, 2006

2006-07-11T12:21:00.000-06:00

CR Update July 11, 2006

Hi everybody. We now have our Cedulas—proof that our residency was approved—a 6 hour wait at Immigration in San Jose but now we do not have to leave the country every 3 months and we are able to travel by air within the country at half-price. Ty continues to work on the bridge which crosses our lap pool. He is finishing our shade shelter so we are almost ready to show outdoor movies and he is improving our outdoor kitchen. We are also talking with him about another shelter on our terrace over the guest rooms.

I am on the schedule with the Nosara Yoga Institute to teach one Breathwork class per week. This gives me a regular venue for my breathwork and it is a good opportunity to meet some of the new-age people in the area. I am also working on a continuing education article for contact hours—an opportunity I found on the internet. So I will have some money coming in but nothing close to the money flow in the states.

The pub continues to grow—slow at times and then spikes of activity. We had over 25 people this past Sunday—4-5 groups from 4pm to midnight- I was the bartender and made some tips. We are attracting great people and our membership list is expanding. Our hypothesis seems to be correct—that expatriates and their friends want a nice comfortable place to meet and have draft beer and good spirits. This week new beer is ready so we are back in business. We have Armarillo, a light wheat beer, Lauter, a filtered Pilsner, and Chivo—the strongest beer made in Costa Rica- 8.0 abv.

We had another misadventure with the car. We gave our primary helper specific instructions to drive us to the San Jose pick-up spot and then immediately take our car back to our house where Ty was waiting to give him a ride home. Eight hours and 200 km. later (I keep track of mileage because our gas gauge does not work) he returned the car with stories that did not make sense. After some angry words about trust, betrayal, stealing, and subsequent apologies, we hope we are back on track. He does not seem to see our point of view at all –he seems offended that we were upset; however, he is a good worker and we need him.

Bria and Talia and Jenna, our college age friends left to see other parts of Costa Rica. They were able to get back and forth to the beach independently by walking across the river which is now knee-high and then hitching a ride. We also learned from them about a good backpacker hostel in the projects. Many of the young people hitch—Joe is still talking about the 4 British girls the pool guys brought to our house on their way to Ostional. It was surreal to have all these British accents in our English pub. If we ever get to Ostional where they were volunteering, we may be able to hire another bartender—they were interested and we need someone for Sundays.

The weather is great as usual- 90 degrees, showers usually at night and many shades of green foliage. This is our Indian summer which is like a mini high season. I swim every day—doing laps in my private pool. It is great to have all this time and to be in a place of such natural beauty. Write back when you can. Love Helena and Joe

CR Update June 23, 2006

2006-06-24T13:36:00.000-06:00

CR Update June 23, 2006

Hi Everybody:
The puppies are now 5 months old. They are cute but sometimes too active. One eve they dug up a water pipe, chewed through the plastic connectors and we heard the sound of “glug, glug, glug.” This happened just as two cars were coming up the driveway for the pub. We were fortunate that our friend Ty was willing to come over to fix it—no 24 hour plumbers here and we have not yet collected enough materials or have the knowledge to fix things ourselves.

The pub-club is slow right now but we do have a core group of regulars, 40 people on our membership roster and new people come up regularly. We are having problems with the beer. The brewery in San Jose infected 5000 liters so there will be no new beer for another week or so. I did bring some yeast from CA, gave it to our friend and brewer Jose, and we are hoping that with Buck Shaw’s recipes, he will make ale for us. Joe will be starting a film club which is separate from the pub but it will bring people up here. We have a marketing plan for the pub and I have started circulating resumes to see what kind of work I can find. Starting in July, I will be teaching Breathwork classes at the yoga center—once/week. A lot of our time is spent getting things done or trying to hire people—both are time consuming tasks. We think we have a regular gardener and we may have a new housecleaner—we hope.

We continue to meet new people. Our new friends, Ty and Sarah, have been here several years and live on a palatial estate with a 360 degree view up on a nearby mountain. They have almost completed our shade shelter with an outdoor kitchen and a space to show films outside and Ty will Joe his bridge to go across the pool. He may also put a gas burner in our antique English fireplace. Construction skills are extremely valuable here as are mechanic skills other trade skills.

We look forward to our new visitors. Talia and Bria, my friend Amy’s daughters, will be visiting next week from the Bay area. They are college age and will bring their friend Jenna for part of the time. It will be fun spending time with young people and Amy was one of my good friends in Boston 25 years ago so I feel like I know her kids. We are aiming to have our guest houses fully functioning for their visit and we are always glad to have guests to help us be in the vacation mode.

Write when you can. It is good to hear from everyone. The best time to visit is anytime that we are here--however Mar-Apr is the height of the dry season and Sept-Oct, the height of the rainy season. We are still hoping to visit the northeast in Sept. Here, it is always warm and nature is always present. With our view opened up, Joe and I have watched spectacular lightning from our terrace. Better than television, we say. And the clouds moving among the hills with the sun lighting up sections of the vista--What a light show! Come and visit. Love Helena and Joe

CR Update May 30, 2006

2006-05-30T14:54:00.000-06:00

May 30, 2006 CR Update

Hi everybody. Joe and I are back together in Nosara, the rainy season is beginning and our garden is flourishing. May 15th was our one year anniversary of moving to Costa Rica. As we enter our second year, we are more familiar with how business is done here. This past year we have found a good trustworthy mechanic, learned our way around Nicoya, the capital of Guanacaste, improved our Spanish, and we are getting to know more people.

The pub is coming along. It is great seeing all Joe’s pub paraphernalia in a new environment. We had a party May 21st—Joe’s every 10 years 1946 party. We hired Mariachis, and we had a hired bartender and 2 hired cooks. The party was fairly effortless since Joe and I had minimal preparations and clean-up. We had 50 guests—our largest group since the opening. We also have thoughts about how to publicize the pub and bring in the people that will appreciate what we are doing here.

Our residency has been approved. We were given an appointment for our final meeting with immigration with 12 hours notice. We missed the appt. and will be given another chance. If we miss the appt again we have to pay $50 for another appt.

Other problems with the infrastructure continue. In the confusion with changing cell phones our monthly phone bill was not paid so the service was shut off. When I went to pay the bill the computer system was down and they were not able to take the money to have the service reinstated for three days. It was difficult to order CO2 and make sure it made the necessary connections to be sent from San Jose to Nicoya without having our own phone. When we were driving back from Nicoya with the tank of CO2, our car broke down and we were in an area where cell phones do not work. We knocked on doors and we were able to phone our mechanic for help and then we waited for two hours for assistance. The car is currently OK but the roads here are rough on cars and maintenance is ongoing and learning patience is slowly acquired..

We now have direct TV. Joe has been one year without television so this will be something new to integrate. It is great to watch the news though we prefer our nightly movies on our big screen projector. Our pool is functioning and I can do laps in warm water with our bougainvilleas garden on one side and Joe’s pub on the other—the tropical air, the sun, and glimpses of the view add to the experience. I can go to town, which is entirely Spanish speaking, by walking down the hill and crossing the log over the river and I can drive to the projects by the ocean, where most of the expatriates live, to use my wireless computer. There are so many worlds here and it is all lovely despite the lack of infrastructure. Come and visit--July is a good month—we like having visitors because we feel like we are on vacation. August can be rainy and Sept Oct are definitely rainy. But it is very green and Joe had 27 trees cut which has opened up the view to our beautiful sunsets and the clouds hovering over the mountain tops and down to the valley. Always Paradise
Write when you can. We want to stay in touch with everybody. Love Joe and Helena

CR update April 29, 2006

2006-04-29T22:31:00.000-06:00

CR Update April 29, 2006

Now I am beginning preparation to go back to Costa Rica. I will leave May 15th. I will be bringing back a Hunter fan, 3 drills, other tools, DVD’s, yeast to make ale, a new regulator, 100 Black Sheep Pub T-shirts, and various sundry items that are hard to get in Costa Rica. I look forward to being in nature on our terrace, being with Joe, helping with the pub, getting some work for myself, and dealing with any challenges that may present themselves.

Joe is doing well getting the pub off the ground though there are frustrations. This month the amount of patrons fluctuated from 0 to 15, which considering we are doing zero advertising and there are many screw-ups is ok. There is minimal infrastructure in Costa Rica so getting things done takes forever. Joe has had to deal with running out of beer, running out of carbon dioxide, problems with the regulator, and trying to hire staff. Then there are the on and off problems with the water and the electricity. We do have a few things to work out. Joe is planning to have his every decade 1946 party for his birthday May 21st. This will be a promotion for the pub and he is hoping to have Mariachi music like we had at our wedding.

Life for me in the Bay area is great. I have several friends here and except for it being much too expensive, it would be easy to live here. My job is going well, I like the American efficiency, and I am making money to take home. I miss Joe and we talk on the phone daily except for the one week when he lost his cell phone. It took that long for him to make other arrangements—as our friend Peter Lewis said about living in Costa Rica “everything here is a process”.

Joe tells me the puppies, Nina and Frieda, who are now 3 months old, are twice their original size and are very friendly and playful. I can’t wait to see them.

I miss the natural beauty in Nosara and I like being here in the Bay area. Joe and I are now thinking that I will come back to the Bay area to replenish the money supply in Oct-Nov. He is hoping we can visit the northeast in Sept. It would be great to see everybody. Please visit us in Costa Rica in case we don’t make it for a visit this year. It is always beautiful in Costa Rica and we want to see everyone. Write when you can so we can stay in touch. Love Helena and Joe

CR Update March 13, 2006

2006-03-13T20:43:00.000-06:00

CR Update March 13, 2006
The pub is growing. People are coming. This past weekend Joe had 15-20 people each night. There were several different groups of patrons. Everyone seems to like the draft beer, the pub, and our spectacular site. Joe has rented our guest houses even though they are barely ready. Our pool is fully functioning--People are swimming and we have a pool maintenance person who comes twice per week. Joe, who doesn’t swim, has started spending some time in the water. He still wants a bridge and that is one of our goals. There are still kinks to work out and I don’t think we want the mini-resort to be much bigger than this until we have a smoother operation.

The puppies are doing well. The mother and the whole litter had some kind of skin disease. John’s gardener took care of them for awhile and Joe took them to a vet last week. Now the issue will be how they like the cats and vice versa. Joe tells me the cats are spooked.

I am still in California. My job is great. I was very lucky to find a job and apartment which I like. It is good to be here in many ways but I also feel like I have been away and now it is time to go home—I’m sure the next 9 weeks will go by fast. There are a lot of travel nurses here—from the South and Midwest where the salaries are lower and they do not have nurse to patient ratios like they have here. My long range plan is to come back for 13 weeks twice/year for the next 2 years. This will give us time to get a better footing in Nosara and coming to the Bay Area on a regular basis is no hardship.

Mark and Cheryl from New Orleans are visiting Joe. They brought Mardi Gras beads which I’m sure were a big hit. There is a couple from South Carolina staying in one guest house and a young woman from Texas will be in the small Tico house soon. Joe had a 2nd batch of draft beer delivered this week –not an easy project to execute in Costa Rica. He also bought a gas grill so people can do their own barbeque when they come to the pub. The pub is working... slow and steadily building.

Stay in touch.

Joes phone number 011-506-849-9010
My phone number 1-510-357-0247

Write or call. Hope all are doing well. Love Helena and Joe

February 22, 2006 Update

2006-02-22T19:46:00.000-06:00

Feb 22, 2006
Hello everybody
Here I am in the Bay area and Joe is in Nosara—not part of our original plan but it is actually fine. Joe and I talk on the telephone often so I am able to communicate how he is doing. His life is much easier to write about than mine. There are so many events!!

He is doing well with the pub. It is a lot of work and he is still getting set up, i.e. hanging pictures, etc. and also trying to keep everything going. He keeps finding people who want to work and then they can’t or they show up sporadically. Also things are done differently there and we are never prepared. For example, the cell phone de-charged and Joe was not able to remember the pin. After 3 tries, the phone was locked and now he has a temporary phone number while a new phone number comes through.

Joe had quite the adventure (or misadventure as he calls it) the other night. He was driving Natalie, our bartender home. The route took him through the river. He had forded the river several times with the Tracker but never at night. He crossed half of the distance and got stuck. He then tried to back up and the car shifted toward its side as if to tip over. As he told me, both he and Natalie (who does not speak English) together said “Oh shit”. Natalie then waded into the river to Rancho Tico and found help and people eventually pulled Joe and the Tracker out of the river. Water was up to and covering the seat but surprisingly there is no damage.

I have been in California two weeks and I love it—my job, my apartment and my friends. I love the American efficiency and doing business in English. I miss Costa Rica—all the things I have talked about before (Nature, the stillness, the air, etc) and now I miss Joe too!! Last weekend I stayed at my friend Anne’s house in Novato and Monday, I met Buck and Kay in San Francisco to go to the arboretum and to Magnolia’s Brew pub. Very different from the things I do in Costa Rica. Work is great, meeting people, etc. and the weather is in the 60’s which is a change from Costa Rica. And there will be a steady flow of money into our bank account.

Joe’s temporary phone number is 011-506-849-9010. Mine is 1-510-357-0247
Write or call when you can. We miss everybody and we want to keep in touch. Our friends, Mark and Cheryl from New Orleans are visiting Joe in March and we look forward to their visit. Come and visit Joe in Costa Rica—I am sure the temperature is in the 80’s or 90’s and you can now get draft beer on site. We will post pictures soon. Love, Helena and Joe

Feb 7, 2006

2006-02-08T22:59:00.000-06:00

CR Update Feb 7, 2006

The pub opening on Saturday, February 4th was a big hit. It was quite chaotic as we headed into the final countdown. So much of what was needed was out of our control. The 2nd stage of the bar furnishings were installed on Thurs. Friday, the guy who built the under the bar refrigerator arrived with the brewer and the beer. The under-the-bar refrigerator had to be lifted through the window. It is a miracle it fit. Joe didn’t have time to put up all of his beer paraphernalia, the pool was barely ready, and there is still more furniture to come. But everything we had was great. People were drinking beer in the English and German rooms and outside in the terrace overlooking the tropical garden. We now have outdoor lighting and it was a magical evening.

The beer was a big hit. Jose, the brewer from San Jose came up with the beer, taught our bartenders how to pour, and showed Joe how to change kegs and take care of the system. Surprisingly, the Pilsner was the best seller, then the Dunkel. We had thought Red Baron, the most like an ale would be the most popular. Jose will come back in early March and help Joe with cleaning the lines and other logistical problems.

Our bartenders were a big hit. We had hired Vanessa, the waitress from Marlin Bill’s. She brought her friend Debbie to help. They were very good and fit in well with the ambiance and the crowd. They are very interested in helping Joe make all of this happen. Both have experience in the hospitality industry and I think they will be a good asset to making our pub-club work. There were about 60 people at the opening which is not a lot but considering how disorganized it all was (not having glasses on shelves, not having the sound system set up, running out of ice) 60 was plenty.

I am now in California getting poised to start my new life as a travel nurse. I got my California license today. I am staying with Kathryn, a friend of a friend from Massachusetts who is helping me with the logistics and there are logistics. I have also started connecting with some of my friends from the northeast who live here and I am fortunate I have friends here. I move into my new place on Saturday—a studio at the San Leandro Racquet Club. Joe is going a bit crazy running the business and the household himself. He has a temporary phone number 011-506-849-9010. I will be calling him regularly. I will miss Nosara but I will be busy here. Write when you can. Love Helena (and Joe)

CR Update Jan 31, 2006

2006-01-31T13:37:00.000-06:00

Jan 31, 2006

Now that I settled in to my life in Nosara, I am off to California next week to make some extra money. We are having our big party-opening of the Black Sheep Pub and farewell for me on Saturday February 4th. Our construction is mostly done and there are lots of party preparations including installing the tap system. Keep us in your thoughts on Saturday that we have a successful opening

Over the past couple of weeks I went to Nicoya twice by myself—once on the bus and once driving. Nicoya is a very Costa Rica town 2 hours away—1/2 of the ride is on dirt roads. I enjoyed the drive—very peaceful and very little traffic. The bus ride was cheap, crowded but basically ok. I found some cheap eating places, interesting shops and visited the colonial church from the 1600’s. It is pleasant there and was nice to not feel rushed with too many errands. Nicoya is the capital of Guanacaste so this is where business is done

There was a fiesta last week in Nosara. This is a 4 day holiday and is set up like a fair or a circus. Vendors arrive and set up booths, there is food and drink, rides for the kids, and a nightly rodeo which we missed. This year there was some live music—a group from Peru doing Andes music. And Tico Karaoke which was better than it sounds. The main singer was gender-vague and had a great voice. Many Ticos, mostly men, took turns singing and many had good voices.

Weather continues sunny, warm, dry, and windy at times. Because of the dryness and the dirt roads, it is now dusty. I have started wearing a hat or scarf just to protect my hair from the dust. The trees are browning out. We just had a lawn installed and will have to keep it irrigated to survive. It is cool having a lawn here—like being in Rochester NY.

We got our new puppies two days ago. We decided to adopt 2 puppies so Nina has company. Our 2nd puppy is Frieda, she is black with white markings. We think it is better for the puppies to be together especially with our three cats. So far it is working out very well. They are very cute. They are only 4 weeks old and miss their mother--they cry but they also settle very easily and are eating well.

My next update will be from California. Write when you can. Love Helena and Joe

Jan 20, 2006 Update

2006-01-21T12:54:00.000-06:00

Jan 20, 2006
Hello Everybody

We are very busy and under a fair amount of stress as we are heading toward completing all the construction, opening the pub, my work trip to California, and figuring out how we are paying for everything. It is cheaper here than in the US but prices have risen over the past three years. Despite the expenses, we want to have our mini-resort--pub, pool, and guest houses in our tropical paradise.

The bar is hand crafted from Sarchi and is beautiful--dark guanacaste wood, an English style canopy for over the bar, a large bar top made of one piece of wood and six elegant captains chairs. We have arranged for finish work, signs, lighting, and for an outdoor shade shelter. We also want an outdoor kitchen and a bridge over the pool. John is agreeing to finish the pool, etc. by our opening party. Joe was informed that when you flush the toilet in the pub, it flows down the side of the hill right next to our shade shelter. Although Joe is into water features, this was more than we want. John said that a septic system is not part of our contract but he also said he would take care of it. We will also explore other options—just in case.

The weather continues sunny dry and windy. The winds can be strong—bending trees, blowing around and in some cases destroying our possessions. We are told that every time there is a cold front in the states it is windy here and we hear that these winds go up to 90 mph. The other day on my way home, I saw a large jungle-like cat leap across the road several meters in front of me. I looked it up on my mammal guide and it appears to have been a PUMA-a mountain lion. This was on a semi-main road

We met our new puppy the other night, a Jack-Russell-a small terrier like dog, who is white with black markings. We named her Nina, she was born Jan 5, 2006, the 3rd of 4 puppies and she is tiny. Her mother belongs to Angelina, John’s daughter. We will visit the dog regularly until we get her probably in 4-6 weeks.

Len and Joyce are here visiting from Rhode Island. They rented a quad—a 4 wheel motorcycle vehicle which is perfect for around here. They had a scare on the quad. They were crossing s stream and being very attentive to the terrain and they heard a loud howl 3 feet from them—it was only a little monkey but the howl was like a giant gorilla. They also went horseback riding. Both activities they recommend. We took them up to Eric and Lenore’s to see the sunset and as usual we were mesmerized with the view and had a wonderful visit. We love having guests because we get into the vacation mode and it is a good break for us. We also hear about our neighborhood from the visitor’s viewpoint

Joe will be very busy with the puppy and running the pub. I will be busy working full time in California and reconnecting with several friends I am fortunate to have in the Bay area. Three months will go by fast. Write back when you can. Love Helena and Joe

Update January 4, 2006

2006-01-04T16:21:00.000-06:00

January 4, 2006
We had a quiet Xmas. On Xmas eve morning we visited our German Spanish teacher to drop off a stocking Joe had put together for her 2 beautiful children. They loved their little presents and it helped us feel in the Xmas spirit. Xmas eve we went to the Red Lion, the new tropical English pub. Joe is thrilled to have a pub in the area where people actually talk. The couple who run the pub are terrific and gave us a lot of information about distributors and setting up a pub. Xmas day we went to a small gathering at our neighbors, Eric and Lenore, to see the sunset. They have an amazing house— large and open with great breezes and an unbelievable view of the ocean. We are getting to know the area and making connections. Over the holiday, I did have some waves of nostalgia for the crisp winter air and the cozy feeling of going indoors but I do not miss anticipating Jan-Feb-Mar in the northeast and how cold it can get

Here, the winds are fairly strong intermittently. So far we have lost a lamp and a small painting on marble (a gift from one of our Russian students) to being blown off tables. Lavender morning glories are everywhere and there are very large grasshoppers. Temperature ranges from 70 to low 90’s and it is dry. The roads are great and Joe is turning into quite the dirt-road driver. “Eat my dust” he says as he zips down what we loosely refer to as “roads”.

We seem to have found a reliable housekeeper and a reliable gardener/painter. We still have trouble understanding the work ethic here. Sometimes it seems like people can decide to work or not work on a day to day basis.

We had a wonderful New Years. The British couple we met in Grenada, Mark and Jenny, visited for a few days—they are on a seven month backpacking tour of the Americas. They were wonderful guests and it is great for us when we have guests because we feel like we are on vacation. New Years eve the four of us visited Eric and Lenore to see the sunset. Later in the evening, we went to New Years parties at the Red Lion and then to the opening of a remodeled expensive hotel. New Years Day we watched the Third Man on our big screen projector and had NY strip sirloin steak which we were able to get at reasonable prices through our restaurant connections.

We are getting into a routine here. I am busy getting ready for my sojourn to California (temperature is in the 60’s there so I have to find my warm clothes) and we are also getting ready for the opening of the pub. There is still construction to finish. We gave John a punch list of odds and ends that are essential for completion and he assures us he will complete everything for us. We hope he will. He is busy with his new projects and I think tired of ours so we hope he will see that all the needed finish work is done.

And some technology news. Most of you may know this by now but it is possible to make phone calls through the Internet with Yahoo--computer to phone number—it appears you may need a headset with microphone to hook to your computer. You pay one cent per minute from Costa Rica to the US. In Nicoya, they buy the minutes and charge $1 for 10 minutes to the US using this method.—it works well and eventually I expect the price will come down if others discover the method and compete for business. (I am still without Internet at home).

And one last piece of news. Joe is considering getting a puppy. Will keep you posted. Write back—we love it here and we miss all of you. Love Joe and Helena

Xmas 2005

2005-12-23T14:25:00.000-06:00

Dec 23, 2005

Season's Greetings

Please go to our picture web site www.snapfish.com log-in: hgreaney@gmail.com and password: trink. There are two Xmas pics of our trip to Nicaragua early in the month that we would like to share with you. If you can, imagine Feliz Navidad being played in the background and listen to the sound of fireworks being set off for the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

As we head into Xmas, we are adjusting to Xmas in the Tropics. After so many years in the Northeast with snow, it is strange to have warm weather with Xmas lights and decorations. We have an artificial tree—the first time our Xmas tree is not real. We do not know what we will do for Xmas or New Years. We will likely go to the Red Lion, a new English pub in Nosara, since the two times we were there we enjoyed meeting people and they have decent beers: Duval, Leffe, Hogartan, and Guiness Draught.

My best news is that I have found a wireless café in Nosara. Thanks to Buck Shaw, I have a lap-top computer set up for wireless. There is a place near the ocean which has wireless connection and they allow public access. It is great to sit and use the Internet, and not feel rushed because of high fees

We are just back from San Jose. Joe needed a medical procedure (which went well) and we were able to get our drivers licenses. We were referred to a taxi driver to take us on errands—this worked very well. He stood in line with us to get our licenses which involved seeing a MD for a physical and then standing in several lines to pay fees and verify signatures. It would have been hard for us to figure it all out ourselves. He also took us to an Argentinean steak house and to a store which sells imported German food and beer.

We had one of those car repair adventures on our way to San Jose soon after we left Nosara. As we were driving along, we heard this klunking sound. We got out of the car and looked under it and there was this pipe like thing hanging off the frame hitting the ground. Joe figured out how to tie it to the frame and since it was Sunday and unlikely to find a mechanic we decided we should go home and get our other car. Every several miles, the tie would break and I had to get under the car and retie it. It turned out to be a shock absorber and we are having it fixed but this is an example of the kinds of things we have to deal with here that would not be an issue in the states. It also makes me wish I know more about cars.

We are aiming for the guest houses and the pool to be ready in early January and the pub soon after. We want to have our opening party before I leave so the opening will also be a mini-goodbye party for me. I start my travel nurse assignment Feb 13th. I will probable need to get in to California around the 8th or 9th to take care of getting my California nursing license and getting settled. I am looking at fares and arrangements now.

I am looking forward to going back to work and to certain aspects of being in the states—i.e. conducting business in English. The next month we will be busy getting the final details of the construction going. And we look forward to having guests. Our new British friends whom, we met in Nicaragua are coming this week, Len is coming Jan 13th, and Claudia is seriously looking at fares. Anyone who comes, we will try our best to see that you have a good time, though all you really have to do is hang out on our terrace and just BE. The monkeys have been coming around a lot at sunset howling to each other, the winds are picking up, it is dry, temperature in the high 80’s, and the roads are great. Pura Vida!! Write back when you can. Love Helena and Joe

December 11, 2005

2005-12-12T12:29:00.000-06:00

December 2005 update

We are just back from Grenada, Nicaragua. It was great— colonial architecture, cafes, good restaurants, cheap internet. We went there to keep our tourist visa current so that we can drive legally in Costa Rica with our US license. We have to get our CR license within the next 3 months while our tourist visa is still active.

It was great to be in Nicaragua for the Xmas season. We spent most of our time in the city square at cafes and watching the festivities. Besides upcoming Xmas, we were there for a 9 day celebration of one of the feasts of the Virgin Mary. There were early morning and nightly fireworks and we saw one procession/parade with a marching band and the priest on a float where every so often he would be risen up on an electric platform and would bless the crowd with the host and crucifix. It was amazing to watch—I grew up Catholic with holy somber processions—nothing like this. We met an English couple who were doing extensive traveling and it was great to hang out with them.

I found help for my computers. Dan Shields, our local computer expert, was here and told me I have the wrong cell phone for Internet access and also that the power supply of my desk top is fried. He will help with both problems. I told him about how we recently lost a microwave and coffeemaker to power surges—the power supplies of these fried also. I learned that you have to actually disconnect all your appliances and electronic devices—it is not enough to turn them off. . This is part of the adjustment to living in the wilderness. I am now leaning about voltage regulators.

We finally bought benches in the hardware store. We had been trying for two weeks to buy them. This time, Joe did a mock performance in Spanish of how we have the money; they have the benches, we have been getting the runaround for two weeks, why can we not buy them. I, in the meantime, in Spanish, asked for the boss saying we had a problem. Before we knew it we had 5 people helping us and we bought the benches and arranged for delivery. Joe thinks his humorous tirade made the difference and I think it was me asking for the boss. We really don’t know. Arranging for delivery was another process. I visited the hardware store twice and then waited while they called the delivery person and stayed to watch the benches being loaded into the truck. We now have 2 benches in our garden and they look great.

My other big news is that I got my job in San Leandro, Calif. I had a telephone interview the other night night. I will be working for 13 weeks on the day shift on an inpatient unit where I have agreed to float to Psych Emergency. I will be there from Feb 13th until mid May and will work every other weekend. My next big challenge is working the logistics—flights, where to stay, and to make sure I make enough money that it is worth the traveling. It will be hard for me and Joe to be apart —he may actually visit-- but it will also be good to work and to bring in regular money. People should feel free to visit Joe while I am away or wait till I return. The key phrase is “feel free to visit.”

Construction is nearing completion and there is still a lot to do. We are hoping to open the pub in January and to have a party before I leave for my 3 month hiatus. We look forward to our friend Len visiting in January and there is also a possibility the English couple we met in Grenada may stop by.

Weather continues warm and sunny, the sunrise has shifted a bit to the north and with no clouds, there are more colors in the sky in the morning. Because the rain has ceased, the foliage is browning out. There are more monkeys. The roads have been repaired and are getting dusty. And the winds are here—still mild but building. Temperatures are from 70-90 and it will get warmer. Pura Vida. It is beautiful here all the time. Love Joe and Helena

From local tourist magazine about Nosara

2005-12-05T09:58:00.000-06:00

From Del Sol Magazine November 2005

The local communities welcome you to the Beaches of Nosara, a very special place in a very special country. It’s a place of natural beauty, forest setting, unspoiled beaches and friendly neighbors. There is no place quite like it in Central America.

Between 1969 and 1972, Alan Hutchinson purchased three fincas (farms) of pasture land totaling 1,110 hectares (2,718 acres) in Nosara, a small farming and cattle raising community with no grocery store nor all-weather direct roads to the outside world. Hutchinson started “The Project” subdividing the land into 700 building sites, with ocean or mountain views planned for forest preserves, parks, commercial zones, sports center, tennis courts and an 18-hole golf course but it never came to fruition.

North of us is the Ostional Turtle Refuge where the Olive Ridley turtles nest (sometimes up to 100,000 turtles laying eggs in one night called “arribada.”). In 1985 the Refuge ws extended south to include Playa Nosara, Pelada, and Guiones through much effort on the part of NCA. The Refuge now protects 200 meters of the 14 kilometers of the beaches of Ostionel, Nosara, Pelada and Guiones, totaling 352 hectares of land and 8000 hectares of ocean.

Over the years, life has become much easier for new arrivals. We now have a good water system, good national electricity, passable roads (most of the time), telephones, doctors, etc.

Newcomers do not know what a struggle it was, and continues to be, to maintain what we have. Before the roads were built, building materials arrived by boat and were then transported to the sites by ox cart. Fresh vegetables came once a week if lucky and most goods had to be brought from the States or San Jose. There were no hardware stores closer than a three-hour drive to Nicoya, crossing 21 rivers and streams. Electricity was provided a few hours a day by generators.

Most lot owners are in Nosara because of the abundant wildlife and tranquility that surrounds ups and because we share respect for our natural hosts and their habitat. Unique to Nosara is the moratorium on all tree cutting permits, issued by the Suprem Court of Costa Rica.

Thanksgiving 2005

2005-11-24T10:46:00.000-06:00

CR Update November 22, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving

We are going to Gilded Iguana for Thanksgiving dinner tonight and plan to go to Marlin Bill’s for drinks later. It will be different being here for the holidays rather than with family and old friends. We are joining our new community here in Nosara.

Plans for the pub are coming along. We met with a distributor last week and ordered 4 cases of Guiness. We still have a lot of construction but John tells us that all will be completed in 2-3 weeks. Our newest setback is our furniture builder’s crew taking 2 weeks off at Xmas. Our target date for opening is now mid January. The pool and guest houses should be ready soon. We are getting rain every 2-3 days now, the sunny and dry season is coming. December is supposed to be a very good month, no rain and cool from the winds. Jan and Feb it does get hot and it will be great to swim mid-day. One of the guidebooks talks about Tropical apathy and I want to keep this at bay.

We finally figured out how to make international calls from home. Svea, our Spanish teacher, suggested we get a phone card. My previous dealings with phone cards had been problematic due to the language but I found a phone card with English instructions. Pricy—30 cents/minute to the US but I may find a way to use it to access my AT&T card which is more like 6 cents/minute. The problem with my borrowed cell phone is that there is a block on international calls which includes the internal Costa Rican 800 number. To get the block removed I have to pose as the owner and go to the company—I did pose as the owner and sent a fax and received a voice message in Spanish and will need someone to translate it for me.

For me the most frustrating part of being here is learning how to do things that I learned differently and mastered in the states. It is like jumping through hoops without really knowing the route. There are many things in this category. For example, we are trying to buy two concrete benches at the hardware store. Even with someone translating we get different stories about their availability. I think the strategy is to be persistent and as soon as someone agrees to sell them, to write the check and take them away immediately. To me it seems like the rules are hidden and I can’t always figure it out.

The cats are doing great. All three of the cats go outdoors though Mira less than the others. Mira hides under the bed in our guest room but she sleeps with us some nights and she does go out once in a while. We got a scare one time when she was out --we saw vultures down a hill and were concerned but it was a monkey they were eating—we are in the jungle after all. Joe eventually found her in the middle of the night vomiting grass so he was able to sneak up on her and bring her in. We kept her in for a few days but now are letting her out again. Trinka suns herself on the terrace and is happy walking around the grounds and she still hisses at Mira. And Ainsley continues to be more like a dog than a cat; he comes when called, eats cheese and yogurt and is a general good sport. Mira looks different—her coloring has lightened—she was dark brown, now she is lighter. For Mira and Trinka, I think the move improved the quality of their lives. For Ainsley, I am not sure. He used to like walking around the neighborhood going in people’s houses and there aren’t houses here. He does seem happy and of the three cats, seems the most attentive to all the sounds of nature.

Nature is what it is all about here. The winds have started. All night long and today the winds are swirling around us and they are strong enough to knock things over. It is not a warm wind—temperature is in the 70’s. The force causes the trees to bend back and forth. I think the winds continue through the dry season and the winds will get warmer.

Now that I have a phone card, I have started planning for my 13 week travel nurse stint in the states. Right now, my first choice, San Leandro, does not have openings. Other places that have psych openings now are Oakland or Bakersfied, CA, Alaska, Rutland Vt, Virginia and Colorado. The recruiter thinks it is likely there will be openings in San Leandro mid-Feb or later when I would like to go. I want to be back for Joe’s 60th birthday, May 21st.

Today was a historic event here. We used the first orange from our garden to make chicken a la orange, rice a la orange and carrots, asparagus and onions a la orange. By the way, Joe wants everyone to understand that despite the frustrations and the seemingly primitive conditions of the roads at times, we love it here. We had the worst rainy season in 5 years and it coincided with John repairing our roads.

Whenever things get a bit whacky, I just look at the view from my terrace -- The nature is astounding—the pictures cannot capture the air and the feel of the energy—Joe’s tropical English garden and our abode are fabulous AND we are in the midst of incredible natural beauty—the mountains, the trees, the ocean, the sky and now the winds. Our view of the mountains reminds Joe of the family farm in Virginia. By the way, Joe has lost over 30 pounds but he still bears a strong resemblance to himself—(he is on the 2 cigar per day diet.)

Come and visit. Love Helena and Joe

November 14, 2005

2005-11-14T15:02:00.000-06:00

CR Update November 2005

Thank you to all who send me replies to my blog update. It is hard to get to the Internet on a regular basis, they charge $3-$5/per hour and the computers are slow. Over a few weeks I type my update, save to a CD, and then paste onto my blog. I managed to get my cell-phone configured as a modem, got it to work once, and have not had the energy to talk with the company about how to proceed--I have to be ready for at least one hour on the telephone to sort it out. Also, my desk top is not turning on at all. The power supply may have been blown out during one of the power outages. Figuring out who can help with this kind of stuff is a challenge. I do have my lap top so I can continue typing.

Just when we thought John had fixed up the roads, he tore them up again. This time it was to put in culverts so that the water drains properly down the mountain. One night we had to walk through several meters of mud up to our knees at some points. Joe lost his dock shoes temporarily—John managed to retrieve them in 2 feet of mud with a flashlight and helped us up the hill to our car. Because his shoes were so muddy, Joe had to walk barefoot and cursed every time he stepped on a rock. The road looks better each time John works on it. We were obviously tired of climbing through mud to get to Eric’s car so we can go to town and we were also getting used to it. And John is an incredibly hard worker. We heard him late at night on the backhoe and out in early morning shaping the roads, to making them better and safer. We are grateful to John-if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t be here and we love it here. But we will be glad when the roads are functioning in full capacity and we are almost there.

We had some trees cut in the back to open up the mountain view. I will try to post some pics. The monkeys howled as the trees fell. We were torn about doing it but we felt that since we are on a mountain, we would like the view. And it is great. We can see more of the sky and the mountains. We have someone here now doing machete work to keep the foliage at manageable levels and we will have a housecleaner next week. Joe has done a lot of the painting since the person we thought we hired didn’t show up. I have not figured out why some workers show up and some don’t. Sometimes I think that the people who charge a little more may be the ones who show up but I am really not sure if there is any pattern.

One morning I went for a walk and decided go through a neighborhood I had driven through previously. What a delight-- I was walking along the river and there was so much activity: horses grazing, kids swimming, music, and people just living their lives. The river was clear. Once the river goes down a bit I will be able to walk to town crossing the river—about a 20 minute walk from my house. We are entering the dry season which is very sunny.

We had our first guests since we moved here permanently: Mark and Cheryl were here from New Orleans this past week. It was so great to see them and reconnect and so great to have guests. With all this working we have been doing fixing up the place, we got to have a vacation hanging out with them. It was good to hear about New Orleans recovery efforts after the flood and to wonder which direction New Orleans will go. It was an incredible event they lived through and continue to live with the recovery. They promise they will visit often.

We are doing more on the pub. Our furniture builder was here measuring the bar and I called to figure out who are the importers and distributors. There is still more to find out but so far I have a source of Duval, Hogarten, Guiness, Stella Artois, Leffe, and Kriek. Still working on DAB and some of the German beers I have seen in stores. Our main beer will be draught beer from the only brew pub in Costa Rica but we want some good bottle beer for back up. It is not as easy to hire helpers as we would like. We found a great cleaner who is allergic to cats. Our tree cutter came once and has not returned. Our big challenge now will be finishing up the prep work and opening the pub.

And my last anecdote. Joe was very sick recently. temp 102 to 104. i consulted with 2 md{s by phone and eventually we decided due to his history he should be on cipro for 7 days. this was sat night. i had to go to the pharmacists house, tell her the situation so she could open up the pharmacy to get the medication. no problem she said and i got my medication and joe is fine. pura vida, they say.

write back. i miss everybody. love helena and joe

October 2005

2005-10-27T11:07:00.000-06:00

CR Update October 2005
We went to San Jose earlier in the month. It was good to get off the mountain but good to come back to Paradise. The main reason for our visit to San Jose was for Joe to have a routine medical procedure. We had a referral from Yahoo group “Costa Rica Living” and the physician was very competent, thorough, spoke perfect English, and had a good manner. While in San Jose we took care of other business and had our usual encounter of things being done differently. I paid the phone bill one day late and they shut off my service until the payment, which was made in a supermarket, caught up with my account. (Actually the account belongs to somebody named Maria—I don’t know who she is but I pay every month and hope my phone continues to work.)

We took our car to Nicoya for its annual inspection. We finally found a mechanic we trust and we had all kinds of work done. The roads in Nosara are very hard on cars. Both the mechanic and his wife speak English and the garage was the cleanest garage I have ever seen. We are finding that until our Spanish improves that we will have to look for English speaking people for the important services. It is too confusing otherwise.

It is a splendid pastime here on the mountain to watch the weather. Often there is mist over the valley and we can hear the sound of rain approaching minutes before it begins. The clouds are always fabulous especially at sunset. The weather is always changing and the seasons bring variation in the plant and animal life. I think the vibrant air quality is probably due both to the abundant foliage and to the nearby Pacific Ocean. It is very alive here. And there are stories about our drinking water having healing properties and Costa Rica being the site of the fountain of youth!!

When you have a chance go see my pictures. www.snapfish.com Email address is: hgreaney@gmail.com and the password is trink. There are some new pictures of Eric and Lenore on the bulldozer in the October 2005 album. These were taken when the road down our mountain was being repaired and on their way back from town, John brought them up to us so we could drive them the 2 km to their house. There are always new experiences here. I will post pictures on this website because it is difficult to send attachments-even in Nicoya the computers are slow but at least the prices are reasonable.

Just as Joe and I were marveling about how the weather is the worse it will be, we had another flood. It rained heavily for 3 days and the river overflowed and we were not able to go to town for 2 days. We had plenty of food, books and movies. We watched Children of Paradise on a big screen projector we bought in Panama. There are frustrations and challenges here and there is also abundant natural beauty with the time to do things like walk, Yoga, meditate, read and enjoy being here.

Construction is pushed back a bit because of the flooding. Target date for completion is now early December. We welcome visitors and we do have a guest room but there is construction going on during the day. The in-house pub will be beautiful and my pool in front of the pub is phenomenal. Check out the photos. While in San Jose we met with our brewer and tasted some of his new batches of beer. It was good—one batch was hoppy, like an ale . He is going to help us have an under the bar refrigerator built and will come to Nosara for our opening party.

I am working on a presentation. I met with the rotating physician to get some ideas of things I can do. We decided to give a talk at the high school on drug addiction—I will do the talk, he will translate and we will facilitate a discussion. I want to do something with the Tico community and this feels like a good beginning. I have not gone to the Yoga center yet because with our Spanish lessons and all our business, we focus on the town. And the roads are horrible. I expect the Yoga group will be my other community once I get in a routine around going to classes since I have been interested in Yoga for a long time.

And yet one more new experience before I close. Joe was stranded in town overnight because of some recent flooding. He got stuck in a ditch and a local Spanish-speaking guy (who looked like Juan Valdez ) on horseback cqam up and said “Problema” The surreal part was when the guy pulled out his cell phone to get help. Joe hated being stuck in town-he stayed in a room above the Beatle Bar (Disco Hell, he called it) and I didn’t like being alone up here but at least I was reading Hemingway. Anyway, these things don’t happen in the dry season so come visit then or come in the rainy season if you want challenges—it is cooler now and forever beautiful. Write to us when you can. We are always glad to hear from family and friends. Love Helena (and Joe)

Update September 2005

2005-10-10T09:19:00.000-06:00

Oct 8, 2005
Hi everybody
It has been hard for me to get to the Internet to keep up the communication.
We were confined on our mountain for 14 days. The first 2 days were because John began major repair work on the roads making them impassible. I actually had to ascend and descend (on foot) a 25-foot pile of dirt and rubble to get home one evening. Then we had torrential rain causing the river to overflow and the roads from our mountain to town impassible. People in lower ground were flooded and had to evacuate. We were fortunate that we only lost electricity for two days and had to eat sparingly. Then John had problems with his bulldozer and backhoe delaying the repair of our roads, which had worsened with the flash floods. We have great neighbors further up on the mountain whom we got to know better through this experience. Eric and Lenore had us to dinner one night and we eventually worked out a system where Eric let us use his car, which was on the other side of the rubble to go to town to get groceries. There was a steep 35-foot drop after the rubble that had to be negotiated on foot. This was not a planned repair—I don’t know if John realized how much there was to do—he was actually up in the mountain ridge (4 stories high) with his bulldozer pushing boulders into the road. However, now that our access almost back to normal, we are very pleased with the end result: a new and better and safer road through the mountain

Construction on our villa is coming along very well. The pub is beautiful with curved archways for doors. There will be a 50-foot by 8-foot pool in front of the pub and Joe is adamant that there will be a bridge over the pool. We are planning for the pub to be a club with members, rules, etc. We want it to be attractive for people to come up our mountain for a draft beer and we are planning to offer the best beer in the area at the lowest prices.

The landscaped garden is beautiful but the weeds are virulent. I planted some hibiscus clippings, which took root very quickly. We will need help with the garden upkeep and probably house upkeep. Our previous outdoor helper was at a 20% show-up rate and now we are facing reality—that we find someone else or we do it ourselves. Our former housekeeper, his wife, wasn’t working out either. So, for now we are doing our chores ourselves. However, I wish I was here the day she showed up to clean the house on her HORSE—that would have been a sight. It is rural here with a “resort” type area 3 miles away at the ocean. The interface of many cultures is interesting.

Except for the 14-day hiatus, we continue with our Spanish lessons. Just being here is a language-learning laboratory. I get practice calling the electric company when our electricity goes off, talking to our construction workers, and trying to conduct any kind of business—many people here have not learned English. My Spanish is still very limited and people are patient. Sometimes, I am not sure what is being communicated. I am also trying to figure out how to get Internet at my house with my borrowed cell phone. Between the language, culture, etc, it takes a long time to get things done.

It is very healthy here. Temperature has been in the 70’s and it rains at least once per day, often at night, keeping the vistas many shades of green. This is the rainy season—the worse the weather gets. We wake early, go to bed early, and get plenty of exercise. And the challenges are part of the overall adjustment to a new life.

We love it here—the air, the foliage, the sunsets, the rain, the new experiences-forever challenging and beautiful. Pura Vida (pure life), they say. Write back. Come visit—the roads will be better in the dry season. Love. Helena (and Joe)

Update Aug 31, 2005

2005-09-01T08:49:00.001-06:00

August 30, 2005
Hi everybody

Everything is going very well. We visited Panama earlier this month. Until we are residents of Costa Rica, we have to leave the country every 90 days and Joe’s 90 days were up. We did not like Panama as much as Costa Rica. We have applied for residency and we are told we may become residents within four months.

We are adjusting to living here. Things take longer. And between the language, the culture, the remoteness, the climate, and just moving to a new neighborhood, there are things to learn. Most of the time learning how things are done here is interesting--sometimes it is frustrating. For example, we are still using a borrowed cell phone. Phone lines are available at certain times under certain circumstances. And we are still trying to get the electricity into our name. Joe thought that going to the office two months ago with his passport and a copy of the bill as he was told would transfer the account from our builder to us. John, our builder, told me to check on it because he is still paying our electric bill. Well what the office needs is a copy of a previous bill and a copy of the passport—they don’t want the passport itself, they want a copy. Making a copy is one of these processes that slows things down. They sent me to the elementary school to see if I could get a copy. After 10 minutes wandering through the school looking for a copier or someone to make me a copy, I found out I had to go somewhere else—one mile away—our car was not working well, etc. So I will try again today!!

We are studying Spanish. Private lessons $10/hour. The teacher is excellent. She is German and has lived in Nosara for 10 years. We have our lessons in her back yard in a casual atmosphere and we are both progressing.

We continue to love our house up in the mountain with views of the ocean and the mountains. The air is very clean and the natural beauty is uplifting. Now that it is the rainy season, we watch the clouds come down from the sky with the mountains in the background. However, either the electricity or the water goes off approximately once/week. But it is OK. Last night we ate dinner on the terrace with candles and talked rather than watch a DVD. There really is not much to complain about.

We are busy attending to getting things fixed, (both cars have problems), unpacking our container, and monitoring the construction. Moving is a big deal. All the stuff that we packed now has to be unpacked and put somewhere. The construction is amazing to watch. There is a team of young men who are very strong, work fast, and have great attitudes. We are fortunate.

For Internet, we have to rely on Internet cafes for now which in Nosara are $2-$4 per hour. Until we get a landline for our telephone, we will not be able to have the Internet at home.

I will attempt to post one-two pictures—these pictures were taken late afternoon from our terrace. Much of our property is under construction but you can see some of the initial landscaping. We will have a pool. The major landscaping is being done the next 2 weeks. Once we have everything done, there will be more pictures.

Write back. Let us know when you can visit. We are expecting to have the guesthouses, pub, and the pool done by November, which is the beginning of the high season. It is good to hear from everyone. We don’t miss our Boston life at all but we do miss our family and friends. Hope all are having a wonderful summer, Joe and Helena

July 26, 2005

2005-07-26T11:23:00.000-06:00

CR Update July 26, 2005

Hi everybody:

Welcome to my blog. I leave for CR tomorrow—actually in several hours. Joe is doing well, learning Spanish, overseeing the completion of the buildings on the property, and working with professional landscapers to get the area fully landscaped. My pool is dug—John has been doing it in the evenings. It will be 9 feet wide and 50 feet long. I will be able to do laps and Joe will have a water feature which looks like a canal.

The pub is being built on our property. There will be English and German rooms. We will show films and it will be convenient for our guests to have a pub and swimming pool on the premises. The name of our property is “El Otro Lado”—(the other side) and for some reason our lawyer added to it El Otro Lado es Mejor (the other side is better).

I am intending to focus on 3 things in Costa Rica. Learning Spanish, doing Yoga, and doing Breathwork. There are many other things to get involved with but I think this is a good beginning. For my New Age friends, Yogasage is big here—a combo of Yoga and Massage—so if you choose you can have a wellness vacation-I can send you to the good practitioners and it is $45/session.

I signed up with a travel nurse company and I am hoping to get a 3 month assignment in March in San Leandro, Calif. This is near San Francisco and Joe can stay—an apartment is provided. So try to visit us in Costa Rica before March—actually Nov-Feb is our high season and there is no rain. Let us know ASAP when you want to visit—we may rent our guest houses. However, we do have a very nice guest room in our house and there are hotels on or near the beach we can direct you to.

I will update as things happen and as I am able to get to a computer—living in CR is a bit frustrating sometimes. For example, this morning when I talked to Joe, he was without water and electricity-this is the other side of living in Paradise.

I officially retired from the state of Massachusetts last week. I had a lovely weekend in NH with some of my friends. Our wedding anniversary is July 28th. Everything is on schedule and once Joe and I are back together we will be ready to begin this next chapter in our lives.

So long—till next time—write back, Joe and Helena

Newspaper article about Nosara

2005-07-19T10:21:00.000-06:00

In Costa Rica Susan Marling discovers why many tourists
never leave. ---

From the UK Telegraph Group

There's always a good excuse to be late in Costa Rica.
Dancing with cowboys will do.

Step lightly: migratory ducks in Costa Rica ---

Rhythmic billows of trumpet and marimba, guitar and
yearning amplified Latino voices wafted through Nicoya's
still, sunny streets and drew us to a Saturday hoedown
for cow hands who had changed into fancy shirts and put
silver bridles on their horses.

Couples danced in the street, bottoms wiggling and heads
thrown back in sexy, salsa style. Even the police were
dancing. It would be a good long night.

We were 100 miles west of the capital, San José, en
route to the Pacific coast. As with all road journeys in
Costa Rica, the last 10 miles or so would be bumpy and
dusty, but would give a satisfying sense of being
intrepid and another lengthy opportunity to shout the
praises of our four-wheel-drive vehicle over the blaring
music on the radio.

Our destination was Lagarta Lodge, just past the coastal
town of Nosara. It's at the end of the road. Drive any
further and you're over the escarpment into the canopy
of dense mangrove, and on to the grand sweep of the
white beach below.

The moment we arrived, the sun went into a spectacularly
theatrical pink curtsy on the horizon and the sea turned
silver. The focal point of this small hotel is the open
loggia's vast dining table with a grandstand view. At
meal times, as we were to discover, the seascape robs
guests of the power of speech. They just point at the
beauty of it all, shrug and shake their heads.

The new owners of the lodge, Regina and Amadeo Amacker,
were once guests here themselves. They submitted to the
beauty, abandoned their coaching business in Switzerland
and opted for an Edenic life running this seven-bedroom
hotel and 125-acre private nature reserve. They smile a
great deal, as though dazed by their good fortune.

As soon as we caught our breath, Amadeo wanted our
attention - he really had to take us on a trip a few
miles up the coast to Ostional, for something
unmissable. We would have to ford a couple of rivers to
get there, but the protected beach at Ostional is the
world's principal nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles
and, Amadeo told us, this would be a "life moment".

For 40 years or more, during the laying season,
thousands of female turtles have struggled up the beach
at night to lay their eggs - in clutches of up to 150 -
like ping-pong balls on the sand.

It was dark as we bumped the wet car into the village
and hired a guide, Pablo, who led us out with an
infra-red tor ch to find scores of turtles labouring in
their private sandpits. The moonlight caught the curve
of hundreds of shells and picked out the tracks the
animals had made up from the sea - a silent, moving
invasion by an ancient armoured army.

"Locals are allowed to take the eggs for a couple of
days after the turtles arrive," Pablo said. "After that
it's strictly forbidden." He told us how the older,
weaker females sometimes take too long to make the
journey across the hot sand. By the time they lay them,
their eggs are poached.

Despite the rules, poaching of the other sort is a
problem. Costa Rica is one of nature's wealthiest banks.
Six per cent of all species live in this small Central
American country, one of the most biodiverse places on
Earth. The theft of turtle eggs (said to restore
potency), as well as rare birds, is often blamed on
raids by Nicaraguans, Costa Rica's poorer neighbours to
the north.

When we arrived in San José, I met Carlos Manuel
Rodriguez, the minister responsible for the parks and
reserves that cover 27 per cent of Costa Rica.

He told me with passion that his government's mission
was to balance ecology with the local economy - to make
the preservation of paradise pay people's wages, so that
they had no need to poach the creatures or spoil the
land.

Tourism, of the green sort, is the key to making that
happen, though the pressure to develop money-spinning
large resorts is almost irresistible. For now, though,
it is wonderful that tourists are unequivocally part of
the solution and not just the problem.

Next morning, we climbed down the 123 steps from the
lodge to the beach to join a trip through the canals of
the mangrove swamp guided by pig-tailed Toni - another
European escapee to Nosara. His boat was driven by a
small electric outboard, like a soup whisk, and he
hopped about, on the lookout for wildlife.

First up was an iguana, as big as a Labrador, with a
shock of orange spikes down its green back. Howler
monkeys swung about, and there were a crocodile, a
basilisk lizard that can walk on water and an exquisite
circus of birds.

These were birds for people, like me, who don't really
do birds - fabulous wood storks that dive-bombed the
water, pink spoonbills, osprey, flocks of delicate heron
and egret, bright parrots and huge black hawks that
circled endlessly overhead.

Toni moored the boat by an inlet where we could watch
hundreds of them flying in from the morning's fishing
expedition. It was an exhilarating, swooping display of
aerobatics and a triumph of instinctive air traffic
control.

Toni has a house on the beach below the lodge. He also
has horses and is a bit of a "whisperer". Recently he
sold some sure-footed Andalusian greys to his
neighbours, incomers from Germany called Beate and HaWe
(short for Hans Werner). They use the horses to take
tourists on wonderful rides along the shore and up into
the hills.

This is Clint-like riding, Western style with a long
leather stirrup, a reassuringly bum-hugging saddle with
a pommel, and a rope rein held high and loose.

Out on the beach the miles of emptiness are punctuated
only by a few Ticos, as Costa Ricans are known, fishing
with rods, surfers bagging waves, children on bikes and
the occasional American hitting golf balls into the
dunes. (Although a kind of grass has been discovered
that can be watered with sea water, golf proper has not
yet invaded Costa Rica.)

Nosara is like a place from 20 or 30 years ago. It has a
hippy ish, home-made feel. There's Almost Paradise, a
restaurant on stilts overlooking the water, a Daliesque
hotel that's not quite finished, a bar on the beach
called Olga's, which has a dance-floor under the palms,
and small outfits run by men who have swapped suits for
shorts and offer guided walks and kayak adventures.

At the centre of town is the Café de Paris - a
boulangerie, internet café and small hotel rolled into
one, and housed in a chic, architect-designed building
made of local wood.

Nosara's small businesses are run by inspired amateurs,
often "blow-ins" who have fallen in love with Costa
Rica. There's not a chain hotel or a corporation in
sight. It's safe, and brilliant for children - a
tropical place with no hostility and no hassling. Not
surprisingly, international estate agents seem to be
doing rather well.

In common with most visitors, we kept on the move around
Costa Rica. There were plenty of "life moments" and
plenty of places where we would have felt happy to stay
for a week or two. Who would resist walking on
vertiginous suspension bridges 230 feet up, to view the
canopy of the cloud forest in Monteverde in the
mountainous interior of the country?

As we flogged the 4x4 up the final pot-holed track to
the town, we thought of the pacifist Quaker settlers who
had come here from Alabama in the early 1950s to avoid
imprisonment for refusing the draft for the Korean War.

A community of 40 Quakers was drawn to Costa Rica
because the country had abandoned its army in 1949. They
buried themselves in the jungle before emerging
gradually to raise cattle and start a cheese factory.

One of the settlers was the father-in-law of Tim Curtis,
who runs the Quaker school in Monteverde. "The cheese
production was a great success, and after that the
community gave some of its land as a biological
reserve," he said.

"Scientists came to investigate the marvellous cloud
forest, and they found species of plants and the famous
golden toad that exists nowhere else. Tourism quickly
followed in their wake."

Many of the Quakers are now involved with tourism. Tim's
wife makes items for the arts and crafts shop; his
brothers guide bird-watching trips and hikes into the
forest. The town actually looks like somewhere in the
American west, although quad bikes are taking over from
horses.

I was aware, wherever we went in Costa Rica (and we
covered only a small part of its thousands of square
miles of parks and reserves), that tourism had sprung
from a real desire to study or enjoy nature.

Whether we were taking a plunge in the hot thermal pools
and waterfalls of the spa at the foot of the Arenal
volcan o, having an exotic boat trip, visiting an
exciting ranch (Ensenada, overlooking the Gulf of
Nicoya) or staying in a comfortable eco-hotel (Finca
Rosa Blanca in San José), we found tourism was run by
individuals with respect for the land and its people.

I hope that direct flights from Europe resume, so that
holidays to the country do not have to begin and end, as
ours did, with a less than lovely transfer in Miami.
Costa Rica deserves and needs thoughtful tourists. It
will reward them with fun, hospitality and a nature show
that is second to none.

Susan Marling travelled with Sunvil Latin America
www.sunvil.co.uk --- Ten nights' b&b, including return
flight with British Airways from Heathrow, transfers and
4x4 car hire with CDW insurance, costs from £1,768 per
person sharing.