On account of having found a sub-$500 flight from San Jose, California, Mom and Dad Broyles decided to make a last-minute visit. Turned out to be great timing for Steve and Jocelyn as we both had work that could be shoe-horned into a few hours here and there instead of spending all day at the offices. So the 'rents got some qt to relax by the pool and do some reading, we got to work and play with people we love, and the four of us visited the beaches, did some offshore fishing with Captain Ali and his friendly crew, ate well at home and in some local restaurants (most notable was Laguna del Cocodrillo, where owner Ben and Dylan hosted us with excellent food, wine and friendly style), and generally enjoyed each others' company. The following photos are a small sampling of the many that we all took.

fresh snapper for lunch, great start to the vacation	shopping for veggies at the local market	sunset cocktails in Langosta	Waiting for the fish to bite
Huge pod of porpoises! There must have been over 100 of them.	Dad's Tuna	Steve's Tuna	Mom got one too!
More porpoises jumping along in our path	Jocelyn's Tuna. Such beautiful fish. *Almost* makes you not want to eat 'em. Almost.	Non-sequiter flower. Think of it as a palate cleanser.	Out for a morning walk in Langosta estuary
Lots of water in the estuary, not very deep	parked at Playa Conchal	one of the area's prettiest, most swim-friendly beaches	more pretty Conchal beach
A local fisherman fought for what seemed a long time, pretty to watch in the setting sun. The fish got away.	Beautiful women out to dine at Laguna del Cocodrillo. Wonderful dinner!	Late night dog tricks to entertain our nephew (12MB file)

Labels: day trip, food, photo, tamarindo, travel

Never realized how healthyGarbanzo Beans are... and delicious.

In addition to bean research, we've been working hard and gearing up for a trip to visit family in the USA next month. Brian and Carrie got a dog, so now Caly isn't the cutest puppy in the pack anymore, but she has a canine playmate, so it seems to balance out.

Weather has been fantastic but abnormally buggy. Ok, some of the days have been hotter than heck and muggy AND buggy, but mostly the weather has been great.

Labels: food, weather

Ahhh, Savannah. If you have never been, you should go, and you should be prepared to want to stay. Forever.

Our first night, we were fairly beat and decided just to stroll across Forsyth park (just at the end of our street) to Bull Street, the main north/south street in town that takes you all the way to the Savannah river if you let it. Bull St. is full if small cafes, pubs, coffee shops and boutiques and has a square about every two blocks. Each square is just a lovely little haven of oak trees laden with Spanish moss, grass, benches, people reading or walking their dogs and a statue at least or fountain at most in the center.

We walked a few blocks up Bull, taking in the idea that we were in the South and that the temperature was still about 80 at 8:00 p.m. The humidity was far less than here in CR, so we were happy and comfortable when we found a little pub (turns out it is the original English pub in Savannah) where we had a simple meal and a couple of glasses of wine while sitting at our table on the sidewalk and watching people stroll by.

We stayed at the Catherine Ward House Inn and our hostesses; Bea and Leslie were just fabulous. Our room was downstairs from the main floor and had its own little hallway to the hidden garden patio in back, where we enjoyed the evening before our dinner stroll, and where we had Mark and Anne over for wine the next night.

Thursday morning saw Steve sad to have missed the 5:30 a.m. fishing trip with the wedding party, but at least mildly rested as he and I bumbled up the stairs barely in time for breakfast (it ended at 9:00 a.m. and I think we sat down around 8:58 a.m.). We had a lovely (and huge) breakfast of fruit, French toast, coffee, juice, bacon AND sausage. After that, my big ambitions for the day dwindled to taking a nap in my fluffy bed downstairs, which is just what I indulgently did. Meanwhile, Steve got some work done by mooching internet from somewhere close by.

Awaking for the second time at noon, I found Steve patiently waiting, but slightly restless to see Savannah. We opted for the uber-touristy hour-and-a-half trolley tour around town. We had a great young guide who knew his history and his biology and gave us a super tour, until we got off to walk through an old house that’s been restored to its 1820’s original look. The tour was short and sweet, which was good, as we were starving. So after marveling at the tin tub in which the entire family bathed, one after the other in the same water starting with the father on down, and the intricately detailed crown molding, we scooted off to a nearby café for lunch. Both our eyes landed upon the black-eyed-pea cake sandwich and lunch was decided. We took it to go and ate in the park, by a fountain, in the middle of Savannah! I was thrilled. Another trolley pulled up just as we were finishing, so we hopped on for the rest of the tour. This time our guide was born and raised in Savannah and he was a hoot! He told us a story about a fairly unknown battle in Savannah during the Civil War with enough clichéd adjectives and trembling tones to make us both giggle, but we swear, we did so very quietly.


Back at the ranch, the Innkeepers were still concerned that we weren’t sure where the rehearsal dinner was on Friday, much less where the wedding was. Having learned that Savannah is tiny and knowing that Brian and Carrie could tell us where to go, we were not the least bit worried, but I do believe our laidback attitude was perhaps even too much for these Southerners! What we did know, was that this night, B and C were having a little get together at the Westin on the east side of the river and we were invited. We showed up a little late, owing to our nap that went a wee bit longer than we meant it to and were greeted warmly by Brian saying, “What does it take to get a Broyles around here?!” Obviously, Steve’s presence had been missed during the week. We did the meet and greet and got to see Carrie for the first time since July! Carrie and I hadn’t seen each other in two full months and mind you, when she’s here we see each other just about every day.

We enjoyed meeting family members and close friends for a few minutes and then everyone headed out for dinner at a place called Tubby’s on the west side of the river. The name really should say it all as there are only two things on the menu that aren’t fried and that’s the sautéed vegetables that come dripping in butter and the shrimp. Holy cow, we’ve never tasted such flavorful shrimp in our lives. I also discovered hush puppies. As I quietly leaned over to my new friend Lou (the wedding photog) and said, “What are those little fried balls on your plate?” (They really didn’t seem to go with her steamed crab and were just sort of plopped there on top, looking for all the world like they were about to roll off.) Well, Lou thought this was about the funniest thing she’d heard all week and proceeded to tell a table full of people from Georgia, North Carolina and Kentucky that I didn’t know what hush puppies were. Now, if _you’re_ not from Georgia, North Carolina or Kentucky either, let me tell you what hush puppies are as learned from two southern girls who had presumably been eating them all their lives: They are dough and sugar and maybe spice and maybe onions, but if Heather’s grandmother is making them, they don’t have cinnamon, but usually they have sugar, and sometimes too much sugar for Heather’s taste, but maybe if it’s Christmas time they’ll have the onions, or maybe it was at Christmas that they were too sweet and didn’t have the onions. Or maybe the onions were only at Christmas, but the take home message was absolutely that they always have the dough and they are always, always, always fried. Try one. They’re, well, hush puppies.

That, thank God, was the last Southern faux pas I made all weekend. I think. I should ask Lou.

Friday morning came all too quickly, but we made it on time for breakfast, just barely again, and then I retired to my room for my morning nap. I needed to be at the Westin at 11:30 or 12:00 p.m. for Carrie’s ladies luncheon by the pool. It was a rough weekend, I tell ya. I got to meet more of her friends and got to see some whom I’d met in Atlanta last April. It was fun to see some familiar faces and great to meet friends about whom Carrie has been talking since I met her. We sunbathed and drank Bloody Mary’s and generally had a very loungy time of it until about 2:00 p.m. when the bride and most everyone else decided that it was time for a nap. I managed to stroll through Forsyth park and read a book on the grass, as well as by the fountain. Yes, I moved. You’ve got to sit in all spots of the park while you can if you’re only there for three days. Then I got tired and went back to the room for a pre-rehearsal/rehearsal dinner nap.

Labels: food, photo, travel, wedding

Banana.com: Complete Guide to Bananas - History - Recipes - Nutrition - Medicinal Use. Pretty close to everything you (n)ever wanted to know about bananas.

Labels: food

Quick rant today against fast food. First Burger King is trying to make a foothold in Tamarindo. I'm appalled. Didn't move thousands of miles to eat the gutbomb crap they shovel out and I don't want to see their wrappers all over my beach. Then today I read a story in the news about McDonalds suing some rugby team in Australia because their sponsor's name includes "Mc". What kind of hogwash is that? As if they have the exclusive rights to Scottish heritage or something?
The rugby team is boycotting MickyD's. I'd threaten to do the same but haven't actually eaten there in a decade, so it is a pretty hollow threat.
Feeling pretty powerless in the face of these multinational purveyors of homogenized foodstuffs, but wishing that people everywhere would put just a little more thought into what they put into their bodies.

Labels: food

Finished off the day yesterday with a long walk down a nearly-deserted beach (we saw only one other person) as a huge fiery sun dripped into the ocean. The one person we did see is Luis, a turtle volunteer. He was shooing vultures away as some baby hawksbill turtles struggled towards the surf.
Times like this, watching baby turtles on a deserted beach with tropical breezes blowing... well... sure is nice living here.
Caly loved it too, of course, as she found one of the biggest sticks yet (about 4" diameter, 4 feet long) and carried it with her the whole way.

OH! And mangos are in season. Steve loves no food more. So life is pretty darn good right now.

Labels: beach, food

On the right side of the fence is a natural local forest. Note that it is vibrant green despite the fact that we are two months into the dry season. If you were to stay a while you would hear a variety of birds, pick out dozens of trees, and maybe even spot some of the variety of lizards, mammals, insects and small plants that make up a healthy forest.
On the left- dead grass, cows, and some mostly dry trees. Not much there. Ugly. Allows topsoil to blow away in huge, choking clouds and is subject to frequent fires. Also allows erosion to carry soil down into rivers, eventually choking out reefs and ruining surf breaks.

Labels: food, photo

It may not seem like big news to some, but Tamarindo is really growing up. We've got pizza delivery now. I never would have said "Wow, a luxury I'm really going to miss in Central America is delivered pizza." But I do, or rather, did, as now we've got it. Babylon Pizza folks. Takes about a half-hour to show up, costs about $8 for a large with "everything" on it. Tastes great. Hard to go wrong. Unless you are very picky about ingredients, then it is really easy to go wrong- they've only got a few to choose from. No pepperoni either, just spicy salami, which is almost, but definately not quite, the same.

Labels: food, tamarindo

Long day capped off by a fun dinner with some new friends. We picked up the underwater housing for the camera on the way back to their house so we could catch a photo of Caly doing her newest trick-- she fetches rocks from the shallow end of the pool by pulling the rocks to the shallowest part with her paws, then dunking her entire head under water to grab the rock. She loves it, we get a kick out of it.

Labels: food, photo

Just because we didn't write about it for a week or so, doesn't mean it wasn't fun. Right?
We had a great sunset beer and pizza with our close pal Christi. Then we headed to a great little party with new friends and soon-to-be neighbor Joseph, who is about to open a restaurant down the street from us. It'll be nice to have TWO places within walking distance where we can buy dinner. Even more exciting is that we may even have a place to get morning coffee!! Not that we can't pour boiling water over grounds ourselves, but there is something about buying a coffee drink on a lazy morning that is hard to beat at home.
Speaking of lazy, we stopped on the way back from Avellanas and shoo'ed some piglets out of the road. Not very lazy, piglets. They were pretty darn active- jumping around and making all manner of crazy little sounds. Calypso was entranced but we opted out of letting her chase them- who knows what a mother pig would do to a puppy?

Steve surfed some, but the waves were small, mushy, and inconsistent. Other than that it was a good time. Bb even came one morning to shoot pictures but the sets were so unimpressive that she didn't bother to swim out and thus we had mediocre pics of mediocre surf. We'll share one anyway, just so that we can honestly say we've included at least one picture of surfing.

The highpoint of Steve's rather long professional week was a horseback tour of a spectacular finca north of here. If you've got $6 million and the desire to own nearly 1500 acres of land abutting the beach, with views of Witch's Rock, drop me a line and I'll set you right up.

Labels: beach, food, sunset, surf

After finally getting some things squared away with a grossly overdue debtor, we had the displeasure of spending a couple hours in the bank taking care of various things that we've put off, knowing it would take a few hours at the bank...
As a reward to ourselves, we took a long stroll on the beach this evening and just enjoyed living in paradise. As the sun went down, we zipped home to take poor Caly out to the beach too. She had spent most of a hot afternoon in her crate, presumably awaiting our return. She played fetch long after we couldn't see the stick anymore, then the three of us headed home. Bb whipped up a delicious Southwest style salad with fresh tuna and sweet corn (Yum!) while Steve got all wrapped up in reviewing a new business card design from our friend Dyna (thanks D!!).

Labels: beach, food, sunset

Feeling a little out of touch with US politics, Steve checked out the Department of Homeland Security web page for the first time today. Other similarly themed websites can be found here and here.
There are also more than a few websites that address the political and security changes made in the USA in the last few years. Hermes-Press.com makes some comparisons between modern US politics and those found in Germany in the Thirties. These posters reference Homeland Security's role in our society. The Homeland Security Institute contains several essays on current event topics and terrorism in general.
Finally, this site contains a long list of news items in a reverse chronological order. It has numerous links to what they claim are "opinions of the Arab street" as well as links to some of the horrors that are being faced by members of the military and civilians in the Middle East.
Interesting stuff. While I'm trying pretty hard to avoid infusing this with my own opinions, I am curious to hear other's opinions, so please feel free to leave a comment. If you aren't into commenting, no worries, poke through the links above if you like, or come back later to read more about surfing, landcruisers, our dog and the rest of the regularly scheduled program.

And speaking of our regularly scheduled program: We are now taking advantage of the puppy's need to pee at 4:30a.m. every day. As dawn um... dawned... we drove our landcruiser down to the beach for an early morning session. Frequent sets of chest high waves (with some overhead sets) for over two hours with a total of seven surfers in the water made for a nice, exhausting workout. Breakfast at Gil's place (amazingly delicious burritos) didn't do much to perk us up, but it did fill us up. Eating too much after early morning exercise is just the sort of thing to make one want to sit in front of their computer and read a bunch of rhetoric online....

Labels: beach, blog, food, news, surf

Got up at 5 this morning to take Caly out- she's getting better at holding it (a fact about which you probably don't really care at all but is paramount amongst our concerns these days). The fabulous morning light inspired Steve to take some photos, but instead we went surfing.
The surfing was mediocre: small sets, mostly closing out. We had some fun anyway and worked up an appetite. By 7:30 we were back home and frying up eggs. Mmmmm, eggs. Hard to find a better way to start the day than seeing a lovely sunrise, catching some waves all alone, then eating well. Life is good here in paradise. Mornings like this are a good reminder.

Labels: dog, food, surf

Yup. Rained today. Again.
So it was a slow and moist day around the Sandcruiser pad. On the plus side, rainy weather here makes for beautiful sunsets, which is nice.

Last night, on the other hand, was a blast! Ken and Kira were nice
enough to host a little gathering in celebration of Bb's birthday. We
enjoyed spending time with friends, great weather, and cooking up a
storm (as usual!)- the fare included bbq chicken, baked & stuffed
chicken, delicious cole slaw, green salad w/homemade cinammon dressing
(sounds funny, tastes great!), tuna steaks, bbq pineapple, fresh mango
avocado salsa and some delicious snacks and starters. It wasn't the
biggest broo-ha-ha that we've thrown for Bb's birthday, but it was
probably the most civilized. I guess we're getting older.

Labels: food, tamarindo, weather

High Tide was at 9:27 am today. We didn't go surfing. We had coffee, mango, apple and toast on our patio instead and enjoyed the first sunny morning in Tamarindo that we've had in quite some time. Bb is off doing jewelry while Steve is doing email and (mostly) putzing about on the web, enjoying the fact that we can dialup from home, which is a relatively new phenomenon for us- we only just finally had our phone installed two weeks ago, after waiting a mere three months. Three months is actually a very quick response time for the phone company here in Tamarindo. Some pals of ours just got their phone and they've been waiting nearly a year.

Labels: food, jewelry, weather

We've been gorging ourselves on passionfruit recently (its in season). Not only is it really delicious and funky-cool fun to eat, but nutritious too- according to the Personal Health Zone.

Labels: food

Monday morning finds Steve sitting in a cafe in Santa Cruz, sipping a latte, talking to sponsors on the cell phone while updating the site from the laptop… odd that I've never felt so much like a yuppie as I do right now- homeless and jobless state not-withstanding. Life is funny like that sometimes. Beebee is off hunting for beads and heaven-knows-what with her mother.

Steve is also fighting off the beginnings of a cold/sinus thing. Probably because he spent 3 hours standing up to his thighs in 50&#deg; F water while learning how to surf-fish at Manresa State Beach with his Dad and his new rod/reel (Thanks, Dad!). Didn't catch any fish, but the weather was perfect, albeit windy, and both Steve and his father considered the trip to be a success and are already looking forward to going again.

Lunch finally rolled around and we got to enjoy a few hours with lovely Katie-lynn (Jocelyn's maid of honor). Ate at Shogun Sushi, yummy.

In the evening, Joyce (Jocelyn's mom) took us out to see Ray Brown's "Great Big Band" at the Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz. Wow! We sat 4 rows from the front of 20 people on a little tiny stage playing big music. The band was great. We had a blast. (Thanks, Joyce!) click here for more pictures from Kuumbwa.

After the show, Jocelyn took Steve out to her favorite late-night restaurant, Manuel's, for another dinner.

Labels: california, food