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

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