Here are a few examples of Sunday fun with great friends in San Isidro, Costa Rica, plus our plans for Sarchi’ and La Paz Waterfalls this week:

 

Lisa and I walked down to the place I call three corners here in San Isidro to meet Crystal and walk around the soccer field six times while Lisa and she got to know each other better. The laps went by so fast that no one else believed it, so we took an extra lap for good measure. And because it wasn’t quite 8 a.m. when we finished, Lisa and I wanted to duck into the Super there to get another baguette (er, two) before walking back up the hill and home.

 

I took some selfies of the three of us standing in front of the San Isidro Iglesia. Here’s the best of the three I took:

 

Crystal, Kris, Lisa

When Lisa and I got back to my place, the first thing we did was take turns in the shower and dress in shorts afterward.  Not long after that, Lisa made breakfast with about a quarter of the the ham and five eggs, which we enjoyed with coffee and peach nectar.

 

Not long after that, we wandered around this property so Lisa could ooh and ahh over its variety of plants, trees, and fruits. I captured those images and put them on Facebook.  Here are some of the best ones I took:

 

 

Lisa’s Happy Place —  the Coffee Field Next Door:

Photo by Lisa — me standing in front of bamboo

 

We’ve been researching what to do this week other than Sarchi’ (for souvenir hunting, Bentonite cat litter, a quick stop at a bank for more colones, and maybe/ideally a fifteen minute stop at a grocery store because we need salt and pepper and a few more incidentals to tide us over until we can get into Grecia by bus the next day).

 

We looked into La Fortuna and their rescue center, but it’s too far away and we’d have to be there by six to have the best shot at seeing sloths, so we decided to put that off until Lisa comes back again.

 

Instead, Adilio suggested La Paz Waterfall Gardens

 

…which is also an animal-y place (Jon had suggested it to us earlier, too). We both agreed that it was “just what the doctor ordered,” so Adilio is taking us there mid-week, early in the morning, so we’ll be first in the door (or gate) when it opens at 8 a.m.

 

We want to see more sloths and monkeys than we saw at Rescate, and La Paz looks like the nearest place that offers that.  It’ll take us an hour to get there and an hour to get back, but Adilio’s rates are affordable and we enjoy his company tremendously, so we booked him!!

 

Adilio is my go to driver from now on.  He’s local, so he can get to me for less than most others.

 

And if you’re ever in the Grecia/San Isidro/Poas area, I highly recommend that you book Adilio, too.  He will treat you right and never steer you wrong!

 

We’ve been vegging most of today  

 

Lisa needs to set aside some down time (she’s on vacation and works seven days a week in Tacoma!) and she’s been wanting to find time to work on more fluffy blanket images for Floof’s Cafe, so she’s spending some of the time doing that, reading some of the books Jon and Francisco gave us to choose from, and sending pix to her friends and loved ones who want to follow along vicariously during this trip to Costa Rica.

 

She’s the Perfect Guest and Bestest Friend Ever

 

We don’t need to entertain each other every waking minute, so we’re doing stuff unilaterally a few hours every day.  We’re sleeping like the dead at night.

 

And Charli adores Lisa.  I opened my eyes last night for a few seconds and there was Charli, sound asleep on Lisa’s chest and belly, two-timing me!  But I loved it.

 

Charli doesn’t take well to strangers, but she recognized Lisa as soon as she arrived and came over, tail up and happy, within ten minutes of our arrival from the airport.  It was lovely to see!  She remembers Lisa (of course), the one person in my life who visited me weekly no matter how busy her working life became! We nearly always shopped together because that was often the only time she had to chat and be with me.

 

Lisa Has Been Cooking for Me

 

Alas, she has also discovered that I rarely cook for myself!  I’m a rice and beans and sandwich kind of guy.  No salt, no pepper, few spices, no cheese grater… you name it, if she doesn’t see it and asks, I look to see if my landlady put whatever it is in here, and if not … uh, we’re SOL unless we go buy it.

 

So, a cheese grater in now on my list and we’ve bought a few condiments and some broth packets and other stuff so Lisa doesn’t feel hamstrung when she wants to make something out of the odds and ends we’ve been buying at the feria and other places.

 

Last night she made a tilapia meal and we supplemented it with watermelon and a baguette we bought.  This morning she made scrambled eggs and ham (we got the ham at the feria) and tried some Costa Rican cheese in it.  Much of the cheese stuck to the frying pan (the cheese here is mighty different than in the States!), but what made it onto our plates was (in my opinion) sensational.  We supplemented, again, with watermelon and baguettes.

 

For lunch we had lettuce and tomato baguettes and more watermelon. (We need more watermelon!  It’s Hermiston-good down here!)

 

This morning when  we went down to walk with Crystal, we got two more long loaves of baguettes (shame on us!) because we were reaching the tail end of the one we bought yesterday. We’re both bread lovers (NOT a good thing, but it’s only for a week!!!).

 

The weather is agreeing with Lisa. The humidity isn’t even afftecting her much.  She says she loves Costa Rica and now that she has finally met Crystal, she’s crazy about her, too.  We’re walking with her again on Tuesday morning.

 

Lisa wants to see some rain before she leaves here 

 

…and it looks as though she may get her wish.  (Finger crossed.) No guarantees, though. This is the dry season.

 

Guess that’s all for this time.  Lots more to follow in the days ahead, photos included!!!