Well, another crazy couple is driving a Land Cruiser all over heck and back. Wish I had found out about it before they breezed through Costa Rica, they seem like they would be interesting folks with whom to share an icy beverage. Take a gander at their site, wish them luck, and if at all possible- launch an expedition of your own. It is a great big world out there and we're too involved in our own lives right now to travel, so we have to enjoy it vicariously through.... you.

People are always envious that we live in Paradise, and while we find this viewpoint is often an oversimplification of the ins and outs of living in an underdeveloped, dirt-road town in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Central America, we also need these same people to remind us that middle-of-nowhere or not, if we so choose, we can partake daily in things that prove to a certain extent that we live, if not in Paradise, at least in one of the more beautiful places in the world.

Lately, these reminders came in the form of a lovely and travel-ready friend of ours, who on the spur of the moment, decided that if I would stay in Atlanta for an extra five days, she would in turn, fly back to CR with me. I said okay, she got on her computer, and about half an hour later, we had her ticket, matched to mine and with a seat next to me on the plane.

Her real name is Katie, but I tend to call her Matty Jane, after a favorite grandmother of hers I would like to someday meet. Matty Jane spent her days here in dresses or a bathing suit, lounging by the pool, imploring us to go to the beach, go on the boat, go snorkeling, GET OUT of the house and away from our offices and computers. Her enthusiasm for the heat and the sun, for the beach and the forests around us was infectious and we came to see again, through her eyes, just how gorgeous the place is that we call home.

Much to our surprise though, the thing that has stuck with us from that visit was not foremost the gorgeous boat ride, replete with cocktails, sparkling water, frigate birds, body surfing and beach walking; or the rocky, deserted beach where we snorkeled; or the runs we took in Langosta; but our humble little outdoor shower.

Matty Jane pointed out to us that no sane person would ever shower inside, when one's other choice consists of a private, outdoor, poolside, ocean-view shower. She declared upon leaving that she believed she had only showered indoors once during her entire visit and she assured us that it was only because we had not fully explained her showering options.

So, thank you Matty Jane, for we have seen the error of our ways, and have begun to remodel our outdoor shower, because even though we are not necessarily the most sane of people, we do know a bit of Paradise when we see it, even if it has to be pointed out to us first.

Labels: garden, photo

We would love to hold onto the land we bought here forever and ever, it is a beautiful little space on which someone could build a great house. But since we just bought a house, we are realizing that there are other places we could spend the money (like on the house!) than in holding onto our little chunk of Tamarindo residential land.

If you are in the market, or know anyone who is, please drop a line to steve@bbcostarica.com

The lot is jsut under 500m2 (1/8th acre), has a beautiful guanacaste tree on it, as well as another pretty tree. Each is on the edge of the lot, so no interference for building. The back of the lot is about 10ft higher than the front, and has a glimpse of the ocean. A 2nd floor or even 3rd floor patio would have a great view of the ocean and the north end of the bay (or rather, the land that defines the bay). Asking price is $165K but there is a commission included there so we would certainly negotiate for a direct sale, and possibly offer financing on a significant portion of the purchase price.

Labels: tamarindo

Yeah!
After two weeks of working her tail off at a trade show in Miami, as well as some work in ATL, Jocelyn is back and happy to be here.

Needless to say, Steve is also very happy for her return.

We enjoyed a beautiful evening, with an unusually large-looking sliver of moon, then had some food and relaxed around the house. Happy to be a family of three again (if you count the dog, which we do, sorta). Speaking of the dog, the little princess that she is has decided that she really prefers to sit on a towel by the pool instead of the concrete. Probably more comfy for her, but her muddy paws play havoc with our pool towels.

Welcome Home! (note the 70's era Bell phone, our little retro touch to the otherwise very contemporary house)

Labels: photo, tamarindo, travel

Here's an interesting tool if you have your own site:
Who links to my website?
Purportedly, it tells me (or you) who is linking to Sandcruiser.com I'm not sure why on earth anyone but us would care about who is linking to Sandcruiser! But it's kind of a fun webtool.

bought some HIR bulbs to install in the headlights of the 80. Its brighter.
Driver's side is the new bulb, passenger side is the old. The lights are almost the same wattage (55w vs. 51w) but they have some fancy coating on them that reflects heat back onto the filament, making it glow hotter/brighter/whiter. Or so they say. I got them from Daniel Stern, who is a great resource for all things automotive light related.

Labels: landcruiser