Aug 2009

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