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